IRLF 


B    3 


argaft 


an 


i 


LC.D.  LIBRARY 


! ,J 

The  arrow,  aimed  with  care,  lodged  in  the  lion's  spine 


E  ckor'Rice/  *Burrou$lis 


of  flv?  ^Vpe^ 


U'itli  Tllitstrntinus  by  d.ftllon  Shclohi 


Chicago 


Copyright 

A.  C.  McCIurg  &  Co. 
1918 

Published,  April,  1918 
Copyrighted  in  Great  Britain 


W.  t.  HMX  PRINTING  COMPANY,  CHICAGO 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I    Belgian  and  Arab 1 

II    On  the  Road  to  Opar  . 12 

III  The  Call  of  the  Jungle  .     .     .     .     .,    21 

IV  Prophecy   and   Fulfillment  .     .  f  .  /  .:.  32 
V  The  Altar  of  the  Flaming  God  .  *  .  *  .^  43 

VI    The  Arab  Raid . '    .*'  55 

VII  The  Jewel-Room  of  Opar  ...  «...  *'.     67 

VIII  The  Escape  from  Opar.  *  >  .  *V»V?  76 

IX  The  Theft  of  the  Jewels  .     .     .  '  .  >  .    87 

X  Achmet  Zek  Sees  the  Jewels  v    .     .     .  103 

XI  Tarzan  Becomes  a  Beast  Again  .     .     .  117 

XII  La  Seeks  Vengeance .     .     ,     .«    .     .  132 

XIII  Condemned  to  Torture  and  Death' .     .  141 

XIV  A  Priestess  but  yet  a  Woman  ...  158 
XV  The   Flight   of  Werper .     ....  173 

XVI  Tarzan  Again  Leads  the  Mangani  .     .  192 

XVII  The  Deadly  Peril  of  Jane  Clayton  .     .  212 

XVIII  The  Fight  for  the  Treasure  ....  227 

XIX  Jane  Clayton  and  the  Beasts   of  the 

Jungle 248 

XX  Jane  Clayton  Again  a  Prisoner  ,     .     .  268 

XXI    The  Flight  to  the  Jungle 286 

XXII  Tarzan  Recovers  His  Reason  ....  305 

XXIII  A  Night  of  Terror.     .      .     ...     .  324 

XXIV  Home  .  340 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

The  arrow,  aimed  with  care,  lodged  in  the  lion's 
spine   Frontispiece 

The  shaggy,  knotted,  hideous  little  men  seized 
him 52 

Clutched  tightly  in  his  hand  was  the  sacrificial 

knife   102 

Tarzan  leaped  straight  into  the  air 128 

La  approached  with  upraised  knife. 148 

Tantor  seized  one  in  the  coils  of  his  trunk 156 

The  lion  dragged  the  Arab  from  his  saddle 180 

Behind  him  crept  Chulk  and  Taglat 204 


Tarzan  and  the  Jewels 
of  Opar 


CHAPTER  I 

BELGIAN  AND  ARAB 

CEUTENANT  ALBERT  WERPER  had 
only  the  prestige  of  the  name  he  had  dishon 
ored  to  thank  for  his  narrow  escape  from  being 
cashiered.  At  first  he  had  been  humbly  thank 
ful,  too,  that  they  had  sent  him  to  this  God 
forsaken  Congo  post  instead  of  court-martialing 
him,  as  he  had  so  justly  deserved;  but  now  six 
months  of  the  monotony,  the  frightful  isola 
tion  and  the  loneliness  had  wrought  a  change. 
The  young  man  brooded  continually  over  his 
fate.  His  days  were  filled  with  morbid  self- 
pity,  which  eventually  engendered  in  his  weak 
and  vacillating  mind  a  hatred  for  those  who 
had  sent  him  here — for  the  very  men  he  had 
at  first  inwardly  thanked  for  saving  him  from 
the  ignominy  of  degradation. 

1 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

He  regretted  the  gay  life  of  Brussels  as  he 
never  had  regretted  the  sins  which  had  snatched 
him  from  that  gayest  of  capitals,  and  as  the 
days  passed  he  came  to  center  his  resentment 
upon  the  representative  in  Congo  land  of  the 
authority  which  had  exiled  him — his  captain 
and  immediate  superior. 

This  officer  was  a  cold,  taciturn  man,  inspir 
ing  little  love  in  those  directly  beneath  him, 
yet  respected  and  feared  by  the  black  soldiers 
of  his  little  command. 

Werper  was  accustomed  to  sit  for  hours  glar 
ing  at  his  superior  as  the  two  sat  upon  the 
veranda  of  their  common  quarters,  smoking 
their  evening  cigarets  in  a  silence  which  neither 
seemed  desirous  of  breaking.  The  senseless 
hatred  of  the  lieutenant  grew  at  last  into  a 
form  of  mania.  The  captain's  natural  taci 
turnity  he  distorted  into  a  studied  attempt  to 
insult  him  because  of  his  past  shortcomings. 
He  imagined  that  his  superior  held  him  in  con 
tempt,  and  so  he  chafed  and  fumed  inwardly 
until  one  evening  his  madness  became  suddenly 
homicidal.  He  fingered  the  butt  of  the  revolver 
at  his  hip,  his  eyes  narrowed  and  his  brows 
contracted.  At  last  he  spoke. 

2 


AiMJ  AKAJ5 


"  You  have  insulted  me  for  the  last  time!  " 
he  cried,  springing  to  his  feet.  "  I  am  an  offi 
cer  and  a  gentleman,  and  I  shall  put  up  with  it 
no  longer  without  an  accounting  from  you,  you 

pig." 

The  captain,  an  expression  of  surprise  upon 
his  features,  turned  toward  his  junior.  He  had 
seen  men  before  with  the  jungle  madness  upon 
them — the  madness  of  solitude  and  unre 
strained  brooding,  and  perhaps  a  touch  of 
fever. 

He  rose  and  extended  his  hand  to  lay  it  upon 
the  other's  shoulder.  Quiet  words  of  counsel 
were  upon  his  lips ;  but  they  were  never  spoken. 
Werper  construed  his  superior's  action  into 
an  attempt  to  close  with  him.  His  revolver 
was  on  a  level  with  the  captain's  heart,  and 
the  latter  had  taken  but  a  step  when  Werper 
pulled  the  trigger.  Without  a  moan  the  man 
sank  to  the  rough  planking  of  the  veranda,  and 
as  he  fell  the  mists  that  had  clouded  Werper 's 
brain  lifted,  so  that  he  saw  himself  and  the 
deed  that  he  had  done  in  the  same  light  that 
those  who  must  judge  him  would  see  them. 

He  heard  excited  exclamations  from  the 
quarters  of  the  soldiers  and  he  heard  men  run- 

3 


TABZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

ning  in  his  direction.  They  would  seize  him, 
and  if  they  didn't  Mil  him  they  would  take  him 
down  the  Congo  to  a  point  where  a  properly 
ordered  military  tribunal  would  do  so  just  as 
effectively,  though  in  a  more  regular  manner. 

Werper  had  no  (iesire  to  die.  Never  before 
had  he  so  yearned  for  life  as  in  this  moment 
that  he  had  so  effectively  forfeited  his  right 
to  live.  The  men  were  nearing  him.  What  was 
he  to  do?  He  glanced  about  as  though  search 
ing  for  the  tangible  form  of  a  legitimate  excuse 
for  his  crime;  but  he  could  find  only  the  body 
of  the  man  he  had  so  causelessly  shot  down. 

In  despair,  he  turned  and  fled  from  the  on 
coming  soldiery.  Across  the  compound  he  ran, 
his  revolver  still  clutched  tightly  in  his  hand. 
At  the  gates  a  sentry  halted  him.  Werper  did 
not  pause  to  parley  or  to  exert  the  influence  of 
his  commission — he  merely  raised  his  weapon 
and  shot  down  the  innocent  black.  A  moment 
later  the  fugitive  had  torn  open  the  gates  and 
vanished  into  the  blackness  of  the  jungle,  but 
not  before  he  had  transferred  the  rifle  and 
ammunition  belts  of  the  dead  sentry  to  his  own 
person. 

All  that  night  Werper  fled  farther  and  farther 
4 


BELGIAN  AND  ARAB 


into  the  heart  of  the  wilderness.  Now  and  again 
the  voice  of  a  lion  brought  him  to  a  listening 
halt ;  but  with  cocked  and  ready  rifle  he  pushed 
ahead  again,  more  fearful  of  the  human  hunts 
men  in  his  rear  than  of  the  wild  carnivora 
ahead. 

i  Dawn  came  at  last,  but  still  the  man  plodded 
on.  All  sense  of  hunger  and  fatigue  were  lost 
in  the  terrors  of  contemplated  capture.  He 
could  think  only  of  escape.  He  dared  not  pause 
to  rest  or  eat  until  there  was  no  further  dan 
ger  from  pursuit,  and  so  he  staggered  on  until 
at  last  he  fell  and  could  rise  no  more.  How 
long  he  had  fled  he  did  not  know,  or  try  to 
know.  When  he  could  flee  no  longer  the  knowl 
edge  that  he  had  reached  his  limit  was  hidden 
from  him  in  the  unconsciousness  of  utter 
exhaustion. 

And  thus  it  was  that  Achmet  Zek,  the 
Arab,  found  him.  Achmet's  followers  were 
for  running  ai  spear  through  the  body  of  their 
hereditary  enemy;  but  Aohmet  would  Have  it 
otherwise.  First  he  would  question  the  Bel 
gian.  It  were  easier  to  question  a  man  first 
and  kill  him  afterward,  than  kill  him  first  and 
then  question  him. 

5 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

So  he  had  Lieutenant  Albert  Werper  carried 
to  his  own  tent,  and  there  slaves  administered 
wine  and  food  in  small  quantities  until  at  last 
the  prisoner  regained  consciousness.  As  he 
opened  his  eyes  he  saw  the  faces  of  strange 
black  men  about  him,  and  just  outside  the  tent 
the  figure  of  an  Arab.  Nowhere  was  the  uni 
form  of  his  soldiers  to  be  seen. 

The  Arab  turned  and  seeing  the  open  eyes 
of  the  prisoner  upon  him,  entered  the  tent. 

' '  I  am  Achmet  Zek, ' '  he  announced.  '  '  Who 
are  you,  and  what  were  you  doing  in  my  coun 
try!  Where  are  your  soldiers?  " 

Achmet  Zek!  Werper's  eyes  went  wide,  and 
his  heart  sank.  He  was  in  the  clutches  of  the 
most  notorious  of  cut-throats — a  hater  of  all 
Europeans,  especially  those  who  wore  the  uni 
form  of  Belgium.  For  years  the  military  forces 
of  Belgian  Congo  had  waged  a  fruitless  war 
upon  this  man  and  his  followers — a  war  in 
which  quarter  had  never  been  asked  nor  ex 
pected  by  either  side. 

But  presently  in  the  very  hatred  of  the  man 
for  Belgians,  Werper  saw  a  faint  ray  of  hope 
for  himself.  He,  too,  was  an  outcast  and  an 
outlaw.  So  far,  at  least,  they  possessed  a  com- 

6 


BELGIAN  AND  ARAB 


mon  interest,  and  Werper  decided  to  play  upon 
it  for  all  that  it  might  yield. 

"I  have  heard  of  you,"  he  replied,  "  and 
was  searching  for  you.  My  people  have  turned 
against  me.  I  hate  them.  Even  now  their  sol 
diers  are  searching  for  me,  to  kill  me.  I  knew 
that  you  would  protect  me  from  them,  for  you, 
too,  hate  them.  In  return  I  will  take  service 
with  you.  I  am  a  trained  soldier.  I  can  fight, 
and  your  enemies  are  my  enemies." 

Achmet  Zek  eyed  the  European  in  silence. 
In  his  mind  he  revolved  many  thoughts,  chief 
among  which  was  that  the  unbeliever  lied.  Of 
course  there  was  the  chance  that  he  did  not 
lie,  and  if  he  told  the  truth  then  his  proposi 
tion  was  one  well  worthy  of  consideration,  since 
fighting  men  were  never  over  plentiful — espe 
cially  white  men  with  the  training  and  knowl 
edge  of  military  matters  that  a  European  officer 
must  possess. 

Achmet  Zek  scowled  and  Werper 's  heart 
sank;  hut  Werper  did  not  know  Achmet  Zek, 
who  was  quite  apt  to  scowl  where  another  would 
smile,  and  smile  where  another  would  scowl. 

"  And  if  you  have  lied  to  me,"  said  Achmet 
Zek,  "  I  will  kill  you  at  any  time.  What  re- 

7 


.TABZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

turn,  other  than  your  life,  do  you  expect  for 
your  services?  " 

"My  keep  only,  at  first/'  replied  Werper. 
"Later,  if  I  am  worth  more,  we  can  easily 
reach  an  understanding."  Werper 's  only  de 
sire  at  the  moment  was  to  preserve  his  life. 
And  so  the  agreement  was  reached  and  Lieu 
tenant  Albert  Werpex  became  a  member  of  the 
ivory  and  slave  raiding  band  of  the  notorious 
Achmet  Zek. 

For  months  the  renegade  Belgian  rode  with 
the  savage  raiders.  He  fought  with  a  savage 
abandon,  and  a  vicious  cruelty  fully  equal  to 
that  of  his  fellow  desperadoes.  Achmet  Zek 
watched  his  recruit  with  eagle  eye,  and  with  a 
growing  satisfaction  which  finally  found  expres 
sion  in  a  greater  confidence  in  the  man,  and 
resulted  in  an  increased  independence  of  action 
for  Werper. 

Achmet  Zek  look  the  Belgian  into  his  con 
fidence  to  a  great  extent,  and  at  last  unfolded 
to  him  a  pet  scheme  which  the  Arab  had  long 
fostered,  but  which  he  never  had  found  an 
opportunity  to  effect.  With  the  aid  of  a  Euro 
pean,  however,  the  thing  might  be  easily  accom 
plished.  He  sounded  Werper. 

8 


BELGIAN  AND  ARAB 


"  You  have  heard  of  the  man  men  call  Tar- 
zan?  "  he  asked. 

Werper  nodded.  <f  I  have  heard  of  him;  but 
I  do  not  know  him." 

"  But  for  him  we  might  carry  on  our  '  trad 
ing'  in  safety  and  with  great  profit,"  contin 
ued  the  Arab.  "  For  years  he  has  fought  us, 
driving  us  from  the  richest  part  of  the  coun 
try,  harassing  us,  and  arming  the  natives  that 
they  may  repel  us  when  we  come  to  *  trade. ' 
He  is  very  rich.  If  we  could  find  some  way  to 
make  him  pay  us  many  pieces  of  gold  we  should 
not  only  be  avenged  upon  him;  but  repaid  for 
much  that  he  has  prevented  us  from  winning 
from  the  natives  under  his  protection." 

Werper  withdrew  a  cigaret  from  a  jeweled 
case  and  lighted  it 

"  And  you  have  a  plan  to  make  him  pay?  " 
he  asked. 

''He  has  a  wife,"  replied  Achmet  Zek, 
"  whom  men  say  is  very  beautiful.  She  would 
bring  a  great  price  farther  north,  if  we  found 
it  too  difficult  to  collect  ransom  money  from  this 
Tarzan." 

Werper  bent  his  head  in  thought.  Achmet 
Zek  stood  awaiting  his  reply.  What  good  re- 

9 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

mained  in  Albert  Werper  revolted  at  the 
thought  of  selling  a  white  woman  into  the  slav 
ery  and  degradation  of  a  Moslem  harem.  He 
looked  up  at  Achmet  Zek.  He  saw  the  Arab's 
eyes  narrow,  and  he  guessed  that  the  other 
had  sensed  his  antagonism  to  the  plan.  What 
would  it  mean  to  Werper  to  refuse?  His  life 
lay  in  the  hands  of  this  semi-barbarian,  who 
esteemed  the  life  of  an  unbeliever  less  highly 
than  that  of  a  dog.  Werper  loved  life.  What 
was  this  woman  to  him,  anyway?  She  was  a 
European,  doubtless,  a  member  of  organized 
society.  He  was  an  outcast.  The  hand  of 
every  white  man  was  against  him.  She  was 
his  natural  enemy,  and  if  he  refused  to  lend 
himself  to  her  undoing,  Achmet  Zek  would  have 
him  killed. 

"  You  hesitate,"  murmured  the  Ajrab. 

"  I  was  but  weighing  the  chances  of  success, " 
lied  Werper,  "and  my  reward.  As  a  Euro 
pean  I  can  gain  admittance  to  their  home  and 
table.  You  have  no  other  with  you  who  could 
do  so  much.  The  risk  will  be  great.  I  should 
be  well  paid,  Achmet  Zek. ' ' 

A  smile  of  relief  passed  over  the  raider's 
face. 

10 


BELGIAN  AND  ARAB 


"Well  said,  Werper,"  and  Achmet  Zek 
slapped  his  lieutenant  upon  the  shoulder. 
"You  should  be  well  paid  and  you  shall.  Now 
let  us  sit  together  and  plan  how  best  the  thing 
may  be  done,"  and  the  two  men  squatted  upon 
a  soft  rug  beneath  the  faded  silks  of  Achmet 's 
once  gorgeous  tent,  and  talked  together  in  low 
voices  well  into  the  night.  Both  were  tall  and 
bearded,  and  the  exposure  to  sun  and  wind 
had  given  an  almost  Arab  hue  to  the  Euro 
pean's  complexion.  In  every  detail  of  dress, 
too,  he  copied  the  fashions  of  his  chief,  so  that 
outwardly  he  was  as  much  an  Arab  as  the  other. 
It  was  late  when  lie  arose  and  retired  to  his 
own  tent 

The  following  day  Werper  spent  in  over 
hauling  his  Belgian  uniform,  removing  from 
it  every  vestige  of  evidence  that  might  indicate 
its  military  purposes.  From  a  heterogeneous 
collection  of  loot,  Achmet  Zek  procured  a  pith 
helmet  and  a  European  saddle,  and  from  his 
black  slaves  and  followers  a  party  of  porters, 
askaris  and  tent  boys  to  make  up  a  modest 
safari  for  a  big  game  hunter.  At  the  head  of 
this  party  Werper  set  out  from  camp. 


11 


CHAPTER  II 

ON  THE  EOAD  TO  OPAE 

IT  WAS  two  weeks  later  that  John  Clayton, 
Lord  Greystoke,  riding  in  from  a  tour  of 
inspection  of  his  vast  African  estate,  glimpsed 
the  head  of  a  column  of  men  crossing  the  plain 
that  lay  between  his  bungalow  and  the  forest 
to  the  north  and  west. 

He  reined  in  his  horse  and  watched  the  little 
party  as  it  emerged  from  a  concealing  swale. 
His  keen  eyes  caught  the  reflection  of  the  sun 
upon  the  white  helmet  of  a  mounted  man,  and 
with  the  conviction  that  a  wandering  Euro 
pean  hunter  was  seeking  his  hospitality,  he 
wheeled  his  mount  and  rode  slowly  forward  to 
meet  the  newcomer. 

A  half  hour  later  he  was  mounting  the  steps 
leading  to  the  veranda  of  his  bungalow,  and 
introducing  M.  Jules  Frecoult  to  Lady  Grey- 
stoke. 

"I  was  completely  lost,"  M.  Frecoult  was 
explaining.  "My  head  man  had  never  before 
been  in  this  part  of  the  country  and  the  guides 

12 


ON  THE  ROAD  TO  OPAB 


who  were  to  have  accompanied  me  from  the 
last  village  we  passed  knew  even  less  of  the 
country  than  we.  They  finally  deserted  us  two 
days  since.  I  am  very  fortunate  indeed  to  have 
stumbled  sp  providentially  upon  succor.  I  do 
not  know  what  I  should  have  done,  had  I  not 
found  you." 

It  was  decided  that  Frecoult  and  his  party 
should  remain  several  days,  or  until  they  were 
thoroughly  rested,  when  Lord  Greystoke  would 
furnish  guides  to  lead  them  safely  back  into 
country  with  which  Frecoult 's  head  man  was 
supposedly  familiar. 

In  his  guise  of  a  French  gentleman  of  leisure, 
Werper  found  little  difficulty  in  deceiving  his 
host  and  in  ingratiating  himself  with  both  Tar- 
zan  and  Jane  Clayton;  but  the  longer  he  re 
mained  the  less  hopeful  he  became  of  an  easy 
accomplishment  of  his  designs. 

Lady  Greystoke  never  rode  alone  at  any  great 
distance  from  the  bungalow,  and  the  savage 
loyalty  of  the  ferocious  Waziri  warriors  who 
formed  a  great  part  of  Tarzan's  followers 
seemed  to  preclude  the  possibility  of  a  success 
ful  attempt  at  forcible  abduction,  or  of  the 
bribery  of  the  Waziri  themselves. 

13 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

A  week  passed,  and  Werper  was  no  nearer 
the  fulfillment  of  his  plan,  in  so  far  as  he  could 
judge,  than  upon  the  day  of  his  arrival,  but  at 
that  very  moment  something  occurred  which 
gave  him  renewed  hope  and  set  his  mind  upon 
an  even  greater  reward  than  a  woman's  ransom. 

A  runner  had  arrived  at  the  bungalow  with 
the  weekly  mail,  and  Lord  Greystoke  had  spent 
the  afternoon  in  his  study  reading  and  answer 
ing  letters.  At  dinner  he  seemed  distraught, 
and  early  in  the  evening  he  excused  himself 
and  retired,  Lady  Greystoke  following  him 
very  soon  after.  Werper,  sitting  upon  the 
veranda,  could  hear  their  voices  in  earnest  dis 
cussion,  and  having  realized  that  something  of 
unusual  moment  was  afoot,  he  quietly  rose  from 
his  chair,  and  keeping  well  in  the  shadow  of  the 
shrubbery  growing  profusely  about  the  bunga 
low,  made  his  silent  way  to  a  point  beneath  the 
window  of  the  room  in  which  his  host  and  host 
ess  slept 

Here  he  listened,  and  not  without  result,  for 
almost  the  first  words  he  overheard  filled  him 
with  excitement.  Lady  Greystoke  was  speak 
ing  as  Werper  came  within  hearing. 

"I  always  feared  for  the  stability  of  the 
14 


ON  THE  ROAD  TO  OPAR 


company, "  she  was  saying;  "  but  it  seems  in 
credible  that  they  should  have  failed  for  so 
enormous  a  sum  —  unless  there  has  been  some 
dishonest  manipulation. ' 9 

"  That  is  what  I  suspect, "  replied  Tarzan; 
"  but  whatever  the  cause,  the  fact  remains  that 
I  have  lost  everything,  and  there  is  nothing  for 
it  but  to  return  to  Opar  and  get  more." 

"Oh,  John,"  cried  Lady  Greystoke,  and 
Werper  could  feel  the  shudder  through  her 
voice,  "  is  there  no  other  way?  I  cannot  bear 
to  think  of  you  returning  to  that  frightful  city. 
I  would  rather  live  in  poverty  always  than 
to  have  you  risk  the  hideous  dangers  of  Opar." 

"You  need  have  no  fear,"  replied  Tarzan, 
laughing.  "  I  am  pretty  well  able  to  take  care 
of  myself,  and  were  I  not,  the  Waziri  who  will 
accompany  me  will  see  that  no  harm  befalls 
me." 

"  They  ran  away  from  Opar  once,  and  left 
you  to  your  fate, ' '  she  reminded  him. 

"  They  will  not  do  it  again,"  he  answered. 
*  *  They  were  very  much  ashamed  of  themselves, 
and  were  coming  back  when  I  met  them." 

"But  there  must  be  some  other  way,"  in 
sisted  the  woman. 

15 


TABZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

"  There  is  no  other  way  half  so  easy  to 
obtain  another  fortune,  as  to  go  to  the  treasure 
vaults  of  Opar  and  bring  it  away,"  he  replied. 
"  I  shall  be  very  careful,  Jane,  and  the  chances 
are  that  the  inhabitants  of  Opar  will  never 
know  that  I  have  been  there  again  and  despoiled 
them  of  another  portion  of  the  treasure,  the 
very  existence  of  which  they  are  as  ignorant 
of  as  they  would  be  of  its  value." 

The  finality  in  his  tone  seemed  to  assure 
Lady  Greystoke  that  further  argument  was 
futile,  and  so  she  abandoned  the  subject. 

Werper  remained,  listening,  for  a  short  time, 
and  then,  confident  that  he  had  overheard  all 
that  was  necessary  and  fearing  discovery,  re 
turned  to  the  veranda,  where  he  smoked  numer 
ous  oigarets  in  rapid  succession  before  retiring. 

The  following  morning  at  breakfast,  Werper 
announced  his  intention  of  making  an  early 
departure,  and  asked  Tarzan's  permission  to 
hunt  big  game  in  the  Waziri  country  on  his  way 
out  —  permission  which  Lord  Greystoke  readily 
granted. 

The  Belgian  consumed  two  days  in  complet 
ing  his  preparations,  but  finally  got  away  with 
his  safari,  accompanied  by  a  single  Waziri 

16 


ON  THE  ROAD  TO  OPAE 


guide  whom  Lord  Greystoke  had  loaned  him. 
The  party  made  but  a  single  short  march  when 
Werper  simulated  illness,  and  announced  his 
intention  of  remaining  where  he  was  until  he 
had  fully  recovered.  As  they  had  gone  but  a 
short  distance  from  the  Greystoke  bungalow, 
Werper  dismissed  the  Waziri  guide,  telling  the 
warrior  that  he  would  send  for  him  when  he 
was  able  to  proceed.  The  Waziri  gone,  the 
Belgian  summoned  one  of  Achmet  Zek's  trusted 
blacks  to  his  tent,  and  dispatched  him  to  watch 
for  the  departure  of  Tarzan,  returning  imme 
diately  to  advise  Werper  of  the  event  and  the 
direction  taken  by  the  Englishman. 

The  Belgian  did  not  have  long  to  wait,  for 
the  following  day  his  emissary  returned  with 
word  that  Tarzan  and  a  party  of  fifty  Waziri 
warriors  had  set  out  toward  the  southeast  early 
in  the  morning. 

Werper  called  his  head  man  to  him,  after 
writing  a  long  letter  to  Achmet  Zek.  This  let 
ter  he  handed  to  the  head  man. 

"  Send  a  runner  at  once  to  Achmet  Zek  with 
this,"  he  instructed  the  head  man.  "  Remain 
here  in  camp  awaiting  further  instructions 
from  him  or  from  me.  If  any  come  from  the 

17 


TABZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

bungalow  of  the  Englishman,  tell  them  that 
I  am  very  ill  within  my  tent  and  can  see  no 
one.  Now,  give  me  six  porters  and  six 
askaris — the  strongest  and  bravest  of  the 
safari  —  and  I  will  march  after  the  English 
man  and  discover  where  his  gold  is  hidden. " 

And  so  it  was  that  as  Tarzan,  stripped  to  the 
loin  cloth  and  armed  after  the  primitive  fash 
ion  he  best  loved,  led  his  loyal  Waziri  toward 
the  dead  city  of  Opar,  Werper,  the  renegade, 
haunted  his  trail  through  the  long,  hot  days, 
and  camped  close  behind  him  by  night. 

And  as  they  marched,  Achmet  Zek  rode  with 
his  entire  following  southward  toward  the  Grey- 
stoke  farm. 

To  Tarzan  of  the  Apes  the  expedition  was 
in  the  nature  of  a  holiday  outing.  His  civili 
zation  was  at  best  but  an  outward  veneer  which 
he  gladly  peeled  off  with  his  uncomfortable 
European  clothes  whenever  any  reasonable  pre 
text  presented  itself.  It  was  a  woman's  love 
which  kept  Tarzan  even  to  the  semblance  of 
civilization — a  condition  for  which  familiarity 
had  bred  contempt.  He  hated  the  shams  and 
the  hypocrisies  of  it  and  with  the  clear  vision 
of  an  unspoiled  mind  he  had  penetrated  to 

18 


ON  THE  ROAD  TO  OPAR 


the  rotten  core  of  the  heart  of  the  thing — the 
cowardly  greed  for  peace  and  ease  and  the 
safeguarding  of  property  rights.  That  the  fine 
things  of  life  —  art,  music  and  literature — had 
thriven  upon  such  enervating  ideals  he  strenu 
ously  denied,  insisting,  rather,  that  they  had 
endured  in  spite  of  civilization. 

"  Show  me  the  fat,  opulent  coward,"  he  was 
wont  to  say,  "  who  ever  originated  a  beautiful 
ideal.  In  the  clash  of  arms,  in  the  battle  for 
survival,  amid  hunger  and  death  and  danger, 
in  the  face  of  God  as  manifested  in  the  display 
of  Nature's  most  terrific  forces,  is  born  all  that 
is  finest  and  best  in  the  human  heart  and  mind. ' ' 

And  so  Tarzan  always  came  back  to  Nature 
in  the  spirit  of  a  lover  keeping  a  long  deferred 
tryst  after  a  period  behind  prison  walls.  His 
Waziri,  at  marrow,  were  more  civilized  than 
he.  They  cooked  their  meat  before  they  ate  it 
and  they  shunned  many  articles  of  food  as  un 
clean  that  Tarzan  had  eaten  with  gusto  all  his 
life  and  so  insidious  is  the  virus  of  hypocrisy 
that  even  the  stalwart  ape-man  hesitated  to 
give  rein  to  his  natural  longings  before  them. 
He  ate  burnt  flesh  when  he  would  have  pre 
ferred  it  raw  and  unspoiled,  and  he  brought 

19 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

down  game  with  arrow  or  spear  when  he  would 
far  rather  have  leaped  upon  it  from  ambush 
and  sunk  his  strong  teeth  in  its  jugular;  hut 
at  last  the  call  of  the  milk  of  the  savage  mother 
that  had  suckled  him  in  infancy  rose  to  an  in 
sistent  demand — he  craved  the  hot  blood  of  *a 
fresh  kill  and  his  muscles  yearned  to  pit  them 
selves  against  the  savage  jungle  in  the  battle 
for  existence  that  had  been  his  sole  birthright 
for  the  first  twenty  years  of  his  life. 


20 


CHAPTER  HI 

THE  CAIii  OF  THE  JUNGLE 

MOVED  by  these  vague  yet  all-powerful 
urgings  the  ape-man  lay  awake  one 
night  in  the  little  thorn  boma  that  protected,  in 
a  way,  his  party  from  the  depredations  of  the 
great  carnivora  of  the  jungle.  A  single  war 
rior  stood  sleepy  guard  beside  the  fire  that 
yellow  eyes  out  of  the  darkness  beyond  the 
camp  made  imperative.  The  moans  and  the 
coughing  of  the  big  cats  mingled  with  the 
myriad  noises  of  the  lesser  denizens  of  the  jun 
gle  to  fan  the  savage  flame  in  the  breast  of  this 
savage  English  lord.  He  tossed  upon  his  bed 
of  grasses,  sleepless,  for  an  hour  and  then  he 
rose,  noiseless  as  a  wraith,  and  while  the 
Waziri's  back  was  turned,  vaulted  the  boma 
wall  in  the  face  of  the  flaming  eyes,  swung 
silently  into  a  great  tree  and  was  gone. 

For  a  time  in  sheer  exuberance  of  animal 
spirit  he  raced  swiftly  through  the  middle  ter 
race,  swinging  perilously  across  wide  spans 

21 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

from  one  jungle  giant  to  the  next,  and  then  he 
clambered  upward  to  the  swaying,  lesser  boughs 
of  the  upper  terrace  where  the  moon  shone  full 
upon  him  and  the  air  was  stirred  by  little 
breezes  and  death  lurked  ready  in  each  frail 
branch.  Here  he  paused  and  raised  his  face 
to  Goro,  the  moon.  With  uplifted  arm  he  stood, 
the  cry  of  the  bull  ape  quivering  upon  his  lips, 
yet  he  remained  silent  lest  he  arouse  his  faithful 
Waziri  who  were  all  too  familiar  with  the  hide 
ous  challenge  of  their  master. 

And  then  he  went  on  more  slowly  and  ^ with 
greater  stealth  and  caution,  for  now  Tarzan  of 
the  Apes  was  seeking  a  kill.  Down  to  the 
ground  he  came  in  the  utter  blackness  of  the 
close-set  boles  and  the  overhanging  verdure  of 
the  jungle.  He  stooped  from  time  to  time  and 
put  his  nose  close  to  earth.  He  sought  and 
found  a  wide  game  trail  and  at  last  his  nos 
trils  were  rewarded  with  the  scent  of  the  fresh 
spoor  of  Bara,  the  deer.  Tarzan 's  mouth  wa 
tered  and  a  low  growl  escaped  his  patrician 
lips.  Sloughed  from  him  was  the  last  vestige 
of  artificial  caste — once  again  he  was  the  pri 
meval  hunter — the  first  man — the  highest 
caste  type  of  the  human  race.  Up  wind  be 


THE  CALL  OF  THE  JUNGLE 


followed  the  elusive  spoor  with  sense  of  per 
ception  so  transcending  that  of  ordinary  man 
as  to  be  inconceivable  to  us.  Through  counter 
currents  of  the  heavy  stench  of  meat  eaters  he 
traced  the  trail  of  Bara;  the  sweet  and  cloying 
stink  of  Horta,  the  boar,  could  not  drown  his 
quarry's  scent — the  permeating,  mellow  musk 
of  the  deer's  foot. 

Presently  the  body  scent  of  the  deer  told 
Tarzan  that  his  prey  was  close  at  hand.  It 
sent  him  into  the  trees  again — into  the  lower 
terrace  where  he  could  watch  the  ground  be 
low  and  catch  with  ears  and  nose  the  first  in 
timation  of  actual  contact  with  his  quarry.  Nor 
was  it  long  before  the  ape-man  came  upon  Bara 
standing  alert  at  the  edge  of  a  moon-bathed 
clearing.  Noiselessly  Tarzan  crept  through  the 
trees  until  he  was  directly  over  the  deer.  In 
the  ape-man's  right  hand  was  the  long  hunt 
ing  knife  of  his  father  and  in  his  heart  the 
blood  lust  of  the  carnivore.  Just  for  an  instant 
he  poised  above  the  unsuspecting  Bara  and  then 
he  launched  himself  downward  upon  the  sleek 
back.  The  impact  of  his  weight  carried  the 
deer  to  its  knees  and  before  the  animal  could 
regain  its  feet  the  knife  had  found  its  heart. 

23 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

As  Tarzan  rose  upon  the  body  of  Ms  kill  to 
scream  forth  his  hideous  victory  cry  into  the 
face  of  the  moon  the  wind  carried  to  his  nos 
trils  something  which  froze  him  to  statuesque 
immobility  and  silence.  His  savage  eyes 
blazed  into  the  direction  from  which  the  wind 
had  borne  down  the  warning  to  him  and  a 
moment  later  the  grasses  at  one  side  of  the 
clearing  parted  and  Numa,  the  lion,  strode  ma 
jestically  into  view.  His  yellow-green  eyes 
were  fastened  upon  Tarzan  as  he  halted  just 
within  the  clearing  and  glared  enviously  at  the 
successful  hunter,  for  Numa  had  had  no  luck 
this  night. 

From  the  lips  of  the  ape-man  broke  a  rum 
bling  growl  of  warning.  Numa  answered  but 
he  did  not  advance.  Instead  he  stood,  waving 
his  tail  gently  to  and  fro,  and  presently  Tar- 
zan  squatted  upon  his  kill  and  cut  a  generous 
portion  from  a  hind  quarter.  Numa  eyed  him 
with  growing  resentment  and  rage  as,  between 
mouthfuls,  the  ape-man  growled  out  his  savage 
warnings.  Now  this  particular  lion  had  never 
before  come  in  contact  with  Tarzan  of  the  Apes 
and  he  was  much  mystified.  Here  was  the 
appearance  and  the  scent  of  a  man-thing  and 

24 


THE  CALL  OF  THE  JUNGLE 


Numa  had  tasted  of  human  flesh  and  learned 
that  though  not  the  most  palatable  it  was  cer 
tainly  by  far  the  easiest  to  secure,  yet  there  was 
that  in  the  bestial  growls  of  the  strange  crea 
ture  which  reminded  him  of  formidable  antago 
nists  and  gave  him  pause,  while  his  hunger  and 
the  odor  of  the  hot  flesh  of  Bara  goaded  him 
almost  to  madness.  Always  Tarzan  watched 
him,  guessing  what  was  passing  in  the  little 
brain  of  the  carnivore  and  well  it  was  that  he 
did  watch  him,  for  at  last  Numa  could  stand 
it  no  longer.  His  tail  shot  suddenly  erect  and 
at  the  same  instant  the  wary  ape-man,  know 
ing  all  too  well  what  the  '  signal  portended, 
grasped  the  remainder  of  the  deer's  hind  quar 
ter  between  his  teeth  and  leaped  into  a  nearby 
tree  as  Numa  charged  him  with  all  the  speed 
and  a  sufficient  semblance  of  the  weight  of  an 
express  train. 

Tarzan 's  retreat  was  no  indication  that  he 
felt  fear.  Jungle  life  is  ordered  along  different 
lines  than  ours  and  different  standards  pre 
vail.  Had  Tarzan  been  famished  he  would, 
doubtless,  have  stood  his  ground  and  met  the 
lion's  charge.  He  had  done  the  thing  before 
upon  more  than  one  occasion,  just  as  in  the 
*  25 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

past  lie  had  charged  lions  himself;  but  tonight 
he  was  far  from  famished  and  in  the  hind 
quarter  he  had  carried  off  with  him  was  more 
raw  flesh  than  he  could  eat;  yet  it  was  with 
no  equanimity  that  he  looked  down  upon  Numa 
rending  the  flesh  of  Tarzan 's  kill.  The  presump 
tion  of  this  strange  Numa  must  be  punished! 
And  forthwith  Tarzan  set  out  to  make  life 
miserable  for  the  big  cat.  Close  by  were  many 
trees  bearing  large,  hard  fruits  and  to  one  of 
these  the  ape-man  swung  with  the  agility  of 
a  squirrel.  Then  commenced  a  bombardment 
which  brought  forth  earth-shaking  roars  from 
Numa.  One  after  another  as  rapidly  as  he 
could  gather  and  hurl  them  Tarzan  pelted  the 
hard  fruit  down  upon  the  lion.  It  was  impos 
sible  for  the  tawny  cat  to  eat  under  that  hail 
of  missiles  —  he  could  but  roar  and  growl  and 
dodge  and  eventually  he  was  driven  away  en 
tirely  from  the  carcass  of  Bara,  the  deer.  He 
went  roaring  and  resentful;  but  in  the  very 
center  of  the  clearing  his  voice  was  suddenly 
hushed  and  Tarzan  saw  the  great  head  lower 
and  flatten  out,  the  body  crouch  and  the  long 
tail  quiver,  as  the  beast  slunk  cautiously  toward 
the  trees  upon  the  opposite  side. 

26 


THE  CALL  OF  THE  JUNGLE 


Immediately  Tarzan  was  alert.  He  lifted  his 
head  and  sniffed  the  slow,  jungle  breeze.  What 
was  it  that  had  attracted  Numa's  attention  and 
taken  him  soft-footed  and  silent  away  from  the 
scene  of  his  discomfiture?  Just  as  the  lion 
disappeared  among  the  trees  beyond  the  clear 
ing  Tarzan  caught  upon  the  down-coming  wind 
the  explanation  of  his  new  interest — the 
scent  spoor  of  man  was  wafted  strongly  to  the 
sensitive  nostrils.  Caching  the  remainder  of 
the  deer's  hind  quarter  in  the  crotch  of  a  tree 
the  ape-man  wiped  his  greasy  palms  upon  his 
naked  thighs  and  swung  off  in  pursuit  of  Numa. 
A  broad,  well-beaten  elephant  path  led  into  the 
forest  from  the  clearing.  Parallel  to  this  slunk 
Numa,  while  above  him  Tarzan  moved  through 
the  trees,  the  shadow  of  a  wraith.  The  savage 
cat  and  the  savage  man  saw  Numa's  quarry 
almost  simultaneously,  though  both  had  known 
before  it  came  within  the  vision  of  their  eyes 
that  it  was  a  black  man.  Their  sensitive  nos 
trils  had  told  them  this  much  and  Tarzan 's  had 
told  him  that  the  scent  spoor  was  that  of  a 
stranger — old  and  a  male,  for  race  and  sex 
and  age  each  has  its  own  distinctive  scent  It 
was  an  old  man  that  made  his  way  alone  through 

27 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

the  gloomy  jungle,  a  wrinkled,  dried  up,  little 
old  man  hideously  scarred  and  tattooed  and 
strangely  garbed,  with  the  skin  of  a  hyena 
about  his  shoulders  and  the  dried  head  mounted 
upon  his  grey  pate.  Tarzan  recognized  the 
ear-marks  of  the  witch-doctor  and  awaited 
Numa's  charge  with  a  feeling  of  pleasurable 
anticipation,  for  the  ape-man  had  no  love  for 
witch-doctors ;  but  in  the  instant  that  Numa  did 
charge,  the  white  man  suddenly  recalled  that 
the  lion  had  stolen  his  kill  a  few  minutes  before 
and  that  revenge  is  sweet. 

The  first  intimation  the  black  man  had  that 
he  was  in  danger  was  the  crash  of  twigs  as 
Numa  charged  through  the  bushes  into  the 
game  trail  not  twenty  yards  behind  him.  Then 
he  turned  to  see  a  huge,  black-maned  lion  rac 
ing  toward  him  and  even  as  he  turned,  Numa 
seized  him.  At  the  same  instant  the  ape-man 
dropped  from  an  overhanging  limb  full  upon 
the  lion's  back  and  as  he  alighted  he  plunged 
his  knife  into  the  tawny  side  behind  the  left 
shoulder,  tangled  the  fingers  of  his  right  hand 
in  the  long  mane,  buried  his  teeth  in  Numa's 
neck  and  wound  his  powerful  legs  about  the 
beast's  torso.  With  a  roar  of  pain  and  rage, 

28 


THE  CALL  OF  THE  JUNGLE 


Numa  reared  up  and  fell  backward  upon  the 
ape-man;  but  still  the  mighty  man-thing  clung 
to  his  hold  and  repeatedly  the  long  knife 
plunged  rapidly  into  his  side.  Over  and  over 
rolled  Numa,  the  lion,  clawing  and  biting  at  the 
air,  roaring  and  growling  horribly  in  savage 
attempt  to  reach  the  thing  upon  its  back.  More 
than  once  was  Tarzan  almost  brushed  from  his 
hold.  He  was  battered  and  bruised  and  cov 
ered  with  blood  from  Numa  and  dirt  from  the 
trail,  yet  not  for  an  instant  did  he  lessen  the 
ferocity  of  his  mad  attack  nor  his  grim  hold 
upon  the  back  of  his  antagonist.  To  have  loos 
ened  for  an  instant  his  grip  there,  would  have 
been  to  bring  him  within  reach  of  those  tear 
ing  talons  or  rending  fangs,  and  have  ended 
forever  the  grim  career  of  this  jungle-bred 
English  lord.  Where  he  had  fallen  beneath 
the  spring  of  the  lion  the  witch-doctor  lay,  torn 
and  bleeding,  unable  to  drag  himself  away  and 
watched  the  terrific  battle  between  these  two 
lords  of  the  jungle.  His  sunken  eyes  glittered 
and  his  wrinkled  lips  moved  over  toothless 
gums  as  he  mumbled  weird  incantations  to  the 
demons  of  his  cult 

For  a  time  he  felt  no  doubt  as  to  the  out* 
29 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OP  Alt 

come — the  strange  white  man  must  certainly 
succumb  to  terrible  Simba — whoever  heard  of 
a  lone  man  armed  only  with  a  knife  slaying  so 
mighty  a  beast!  Yet  presently  the  old  black 
man's  eyes  went  wider  and  he  commenced  to 
have  his  doubts  and  misgivings.  What  won 
derful  sort  of  creature  was  this  that  battled 
with  Simba  and  held  his  own  despite  the  mighty 
muscles  of  the  king  of  beasts  and  slowly  there 
dawned  in  those  sunken  eyes,  gleaming  so 
brightly  from  the  scarred  and  wrinkled  face, 
the  light  of  a  dawning  recollection.  Gropingly 
backward  into  the  past  reached  the  fingers  of 
memory,  until  at  last  they  seized  upon  a  faint 
picture,  faded  and  yellow  with  the  passing 
years.  It  was  the  picture  of  a  lithe,  white- 
skinned  youth  swinging  through  the  trees  in 
company  with  a  band  of  huge  apes,  and  the 
old  eyes  blinked  and  a  great  fear  came  into 
them — the  superstitious  fear  of  one  who  be 
lieves  in  ghosts  and  spirits  and  demons. 

And  came  the  time  once  more  when  the  witch 
doctor  no  longer  doubted  the  outcome  of  the 
duel,  yet  his  first  judgment  was  reversed,  for 
now  he  knew  that  the  jungle  god  would  slay 
Simba  and  the  old  black  was  even  more  terri- 

30 


THE  CALL  OF  THE  JUNGLE 


fied  of  Ms  own  impending  fate  at  the  hands 
of  the  victor  than  he  had  been  by  the  sure  and 
sudden  death  which  the  triumphant  lion  would 
have  meted  out  to  him.  He  saw  the  lion  weaken 
from  loss  of  blood.  He  saw  the  mighty  limbs 
tremble  and  stagger  and  at  last  he  saw  the 
beast  sink  down  to  rise  no  more.  He  saw  the 
forest  god  or  demon  rise  from  the  vanquished 
foe,  and  placing  a  foot  upon  the  still  quivering 
carcass,  raise  his  face  to  the  moon  and  bay  out 
a  hideous  cry  that  froze  the  ebbing  blood  in 
the  veins  of  the  witch-doctor. 


31 


CHAPTER  IV 

PBOFHECY  AND  FULFILLMENT 

THEN  Tarzan  turned  his  attention  to  the 
man.  He  had  not  slain  Numa  to  save  the 
negro — he  had  merely  done  it  in  revenge  upon 
the  lion;  but  now  that  he  saw  the  old  man  lying 
helpless  and  dying  before  him  something  akin 
to  pity  tonehed  his  savage  heart.  In  his  youth 
he  would  have  slain  the  witch-doctor  without 
the  slightest  compunction;  but  civilization  had 
had  its  softening  effect  upon  him  even  as  it 
does  upon  the  nations  and  races  which  it 
touches,  though  it  had  not  yet  gone  far  enough 
with  Tarzan  to  render  him  either  cowardly  or 
effeminate.  He  saw  an  old  man  suffering  and 
dying,  and  he  stooped  and  felt  of  his  wounds 
and  stanched  the  flow  of  blood. 

"Who  are  you?"  asked  the  old  man  in  a 
trembling  voice. 

"I  am  Tarzan — Tarzan  of  the  Apes/'  re 
plied  the  ape-man  and  not  without  a  greater 
touch  of  pride  than  he  would  have  said,  "  I  am 
John  Clayton,  Lord  Greystoke." 

32 


PROPHECY  AND  FULFILLMENT 

The  witch-doctor  shook  convulsively  and 
closed  his  eyes.  When  he  opened  them  again 
there  was  in  them  a  resignation  to  whatever 
horrible  fate  awaited  him  at  the  hands  of  this 
feared  demon  of  the  woods.  "  Why  do  you  not 
kill  me?  "  he  asked. 

"  Why  should  I  kill  you?  "  inquired  Tarzan. 
"You  have  not  harmed  me,  and  anyway  you 
are  already  dying.  Numa,  the  lion,  has  killed 
you." 

"You  would  not  kill  me?"  Surprise  and 
incredulity  were  in  the  tones  of  the  quavering 
old  voice. 

"  I  would  save  you  if  I  could,"  replied  Tar 
zan,  "  but  that  cannot  be  done.  Why  did  you 
think  I  would  kill  you?  " 

For  a  moment  the  old  man  was  silent.  When 
he  spoke  it  was  evidently  after  some  little  effort 
to  muster  his  courage.  "  I  knew  you  of  old," 
he  said,  "when  you  ranged  the  jungle  in  the 
country  of  Mbonga,  the  chief.  I  was  already 
a  witch-doctor  when  you  slew  Kulonga  and  the 
others,  and  when  you  robbed  our  huts  and  our 
poison  pot.  At  first  I  did  not  remember  you; 
but  at  last  I  did — the  white-skinned  ape  that 
lived  with  the  hairy  apes  and  made  life  miser- 

33 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

able  in  the  village  of  Mbonga,  the  chief — the 
forest  god — the  Munango-Keewati  for  whom 
we  set  food  outside  our  gates  and  who  came  and 
ate  it.  Tell  me  before  I  die — are  you  man  or 
devil?  " 

Tarzan  laughed.    "  I  am  a  man,"  he  said. 

The  old  fellow  sighed  and  shook  his  head. 
"  You  have  tried  to  save  me  from  Simba,"  he 
said.  "  For  that  I  shall  reward  you.  I  am  a 
great  witch-doctor.  Listen  to  me,  white  man! 
I  see  bad  days  ahead  of  you.  It  is  writ  in  my 
own  blood  which  I  have  smeared  upon  my  palm. 
A  god  greater  even  than  you  will  rise  up  and 
strike  you  down.  Turn  back,  Munango-Kee 
wati  !  Turn  back  before  it  is  too  late.  Danger 
lies  ahead  of  you  and  danger  lurks  behind ;  but 
greater  is  the  danger  before.  I  see — "  He 
paused  and  drew  a  long,  gasping  breath.  Then 
he  crumpled  into  a  little,  wrinkled  heap  and 
died.  Tarzan  wondered  what  else  he  had  seen. 

It  was  very  late  when  the  ape-man  re-entered 
the  boma  and  lay  down  among  his  black  war 
riors.  None  had  seen  him  go  and  none  saw  him 
return.  He  thought  about  the  warning  of  the 
old  witch-doctor  before  he  fell  asleep  and  he 
thought  of  it  again  after  he  awoke ;  but  he  did 

34 


PROPHECY  AND  FULFILLMENT 

not  turn  back  for  he  was  unafraid,  though  had 
he  known  what  lay  in  store  for  one  he  loved 
most  in  all  the  world  he  would  have  flown 
through  the  trees  to  her  side  and  allowed  the 
gold  of  Opar  to  remain  forever  hidden  in  its 
forgotten  storehouse. 

Behind  Mm  that  morning  another  white  man 
pondered  something  he  had  heard  during  the 
night  and  very  nearly  did  he  give  up  his  proj 
ect  and  turn  back  upon  his  trail.  It  was  Wer- 
per,  the  murderer,  who  in  the  still  of  the  night 
had  heard  far  away  upon  the  trail  ahead  of 
him  a  sound  that  had  filled  his  cowardly  soul 
with  terror — a  sound  such  as  he  never  before 
had  heard  in  all  his  life,  nor  dreamed  that  such 
a  frightful  thing  could  emanate  from  the  lungs 
of  a  God-created  creature.  He  had  heard  the 
victory  cry  of  the  bull  ape  as  Tarzan  had 
screamed  it  forth  into  the  face  of  Goro,  the 
moon,  and  he  had  trembled  then  and  hidden 
his  face ;  and  now  in  the  broad  light  of  a  new 
day  he  trembled  again  as  he  recalled  it,  and 
would  have  turned  back  from  the  nameless  dan 
ger  the  echo  of  that  frightful  sound  seemed  to 
portend,  had  he  not  stood  in  even  greater  fear 
of  Achmet  Zek,  his  master. 

35 


TAKZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF 


And  so  Tarzan  of  the  Apes  forged  steadily 
ahead  toward  Opar's  ruined  ramparts  and  be 
hind  him  slunk  Werper,  jackal-like,  and  only 
God  knew  what  lay  in  store  for  each. 

At  the  edge  of  the  desolate  valley,  overlook 
ing  the  golden  domes  and  minarets  of  Opar, 
Tarzan  halted.  By  night  he  would  go  alone  to 
the  treasure  vault,  reeonnoitering,  for  he  had 
determined  that  caution  should  mark  his  every 
move  upon  this  expedition. 

"With  the  coming  of  night  he  set  forth,  and 
Werper,  who  had  scaled  the  cliffs  alone  behind 
the  ape-man's  party,  and  hidden  through  the 
day  among  the  rough  boulders  of  the  mountain 
top,  slunk  stealthily  after  him.  The  boulder- 
strewn  plain  between  the  valley's  edge  and 
the  mighty  granite  kopje,  outside  the  city's 
walls,  where  lay  the  entrance  to  the  passage 
way  leading  to  the  treasure  vault,  gave  the 
Belgian  ample  cover  as  he  followed  Tarzan 
toward  Opar. 

He  saw  the  giant  ape-man  swing  himself 
nimbly  up  the  face  of  the  great  rock.  Werper, 
clawing  fearfully  during  the  perilous  ascent, 
•wealing  in  terror,  almost  palsied  by  fear,  but 
npnrred  on  by  avarice,  followed  upward,  until 

36 


PROPHECY  AND  FULFILLMENT 

at  last  he  stood  upon  the  summit  of  the  rooky 
hill 

Tarzan  was  nowhere  in  sight.  For  a  time 
Werper  hid  behind  one  of  the  lesser  boulders 
that  were  scattered  over  the  top  of  the  hill,  but, 
seeing  or  hearing  nothing  of  the  Englishman, 
he  crept  from  his  place  of  concealment  to  under 
take  a  systematic  search  of  his  surroundings, 
in  the  hope  that  he  might  discover  the  location 
of  the  treasure  in  ample  time  to  make  his  escape 
before  Tarzan  returned,  for  it  was  the  Bel 
gian  's  desire  merely  to  locate  the  gold,  that, 
after  Tarzan  had  departed,  he  might  come  in 
safety  with  his  followers  and  carry  away  as 
much  as  he  could  transport. 

He  found  the  narrow  cleft  leading  downward 
into  the  heart  of  the  kopje  along  well-worn, 
granite  steps.  He  advanced  quite  to  the  dark 
mouth  of  the  tunnel  into  which  the  runway  dis 
appeared  ;  but  here  he  halted,  fearing  to  enter, 
lest  he  meet  Tarzan  returning. 

The  ape-man,  far  ahead  of  him,  groped  his 
way  along  the  rocky  passage,  until  he  came  to 
the  ancient  wooden  door.  A  moment  later  he 
stood  within  the  treasure  chamber,  where,  ages 
since,  long-ctead  hands  had  ranged  the  lofty 

37 


TABZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

rows  of  precious  ingots  for  the  rulers  of  that 
great  continent  which  now  lies  submerged 
beneath  the  waters  of  the  Atlantic. 

No  sound  broke  the  stillness  of  the  subter 
ranean  vault.  There  was  no  evidence  that  an 
other  had  discovered  the  forgotten  wealth  since 
last  the  ape-man  had  visited  its  hiding  place. 

Satisfied,  Tarzan  turned  and  retraced  his 
steps  toward  the  summit  of  the  kopje.  Wer- 
per,  from  the  concealment  of  a  jutting,  granite 
shoulder,  watched  him  pass  up  from  the  shad 
ows  of  the  stairway  and  advance  toward  the 
edge  of  the  hill  which  faced  the  rim  of  the 
valley  where  the  Waziri  awaited  the  signal  of 
their  master.  Then  Werper,  slipping  stealthily 
from  his  hiding  place,  dropped  into  the  somber 
darkness  of  the  entrance  and  disappeared. 

Tarzan,  halting  upon  the  kopje 's  edge,  raised 
his  voice  in  the  thunderous  roar  of  a  lion. 
Twice,  at  regular  intervals,  he  repeated  the 
call,  standing  in  attentive  silence  for  several 
minutes  after  the  echoes  of  the  third  call  had 
died  away.  And  then,  from  far  across  the  val 
ley,  faintly,  came  an  answering  roar  —  once, 
twice,  thrice.  Basuli,  the  Waziri  chieftain,  had 
heard  and  replied. 

38 


PEOPHECY  AND  FULFILLMENT 

Tarzan  again  made  his  way  toward  the  treas 
ure  vault,  knowing  that  in  a  few  hours  his 
blacks  would  be  with  him,  ready  to  bear  away 
another  fortune  in  the  strangely  shaped,  golden 
ingots  of  Opar.  In  the  meantime  he  would 
carry  as  much  of  the  precious  metal  to  the  sum 
mit  of  the  kopje  as  he  could. 

Six  trips  he  made  in  the  five  hours  before 
Basuli  reached  the  kopje,  and  at  the  end  of  that 
time  he  had  transported  forty-eight  ingots  to 
the  edge  of  the  great  boulder,  carrying  upon 
each  trip  a  load  which  might  well  have  stag 
gered  two  ordinary  men,  yet  his  giant  frame 
showed  no  evidence  of  fatigue,  as  he  helped 
to  raise  his  ebon  warriors  to  the  hill  top  with 
the  rope  that  had  been  brought  for  the  purpose. 

Six  times  he  had  returned  to  the  treasure 
chamber,  and  six  times  Werper,  the  Belgian, 
had  cowered  in  the  black  shadows  at  the  far 
end  of  the  long  vault.  Once  again  came  the 
ape-man,  and  this  time  there  came  with  him 
fifty  fighting  men,  turned  porters  for  love  of 
the  only  creature  in  the  world  who  might  com 
mand  of  their  fierce  and  haughty  natures  such 
menial  service.  Fifty-two  more  ingots  passed 
out  of  the  vaults,  making  the  total  of  one  hun- 

39 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 
dred  which  Tarzan  intended  taking  away  with 


As  the  last  of  the  Waziri  filed  from  the  cham 
ber,  Tarzan  turned  back  for  a  last  glimpse  of 
the  fabulous  wealth  upon  which  his  two  in 
roads  had  made  no  appreciable  impression. 
Before  he  extinguished  the  single  candle  he  had 
brought  with  him  for  the  purpose,  and  the 
flickering  light  of  which  had  cast  the  first  alle 
viating  rays  into  the  impenetrable  darkness  of 
the  buried  chamber,  that  it  had  known  for  the 
countless  ages  since  it  had  lain  forgotten  of 
man,  Tarzan  9s  mind  reverted  to  that  first  occa 
sion  upon  which  he  had  entered  the  treasure 
vault,  coming  upon  it  by  chance  as  he  fled  from 
the  pits  beneath  the  temple,  where  he  had  been 
hidden  by  La,  the  High  Priestess  of  the  Sun 
Worshipers. 

He  recalled  the  scene  within  the  temple  when 
he  had  lain  stretched  upon  the  sacrificial  altar, 
while  La,  with  high-raised  dagger,  stood  above 
him,  and  the  rows  of  priests  and  priestesses 
awaited,  in  the  ecstatic  hysteria  of  fanaticism, 
the  first  gush  of  their  victim's  warm  blood, 
that  they  might  fill  their  golden  goblets  and 
drink  to  the  glory  of  their  Flaming  God. 

40 


PROPHECY  AND  FULFILMENT 

The  brutal  and  bloody  interruption  by  Tha, 
the  mad  priest,  passed  vividly  before  the  ape- 
man's  recollective  eye,  the  flight  of  the  votaries 
before  the  insane  blood  lust  of  the  hideous  crea 
ture,  the  brutal  attack  upon  La,  and  his  own 
part  in  the  grim  tragedy  when  he  had  battled 
with  the  infuriated  Oparian  and  left  him  dead 
at  the  feet  of  the  priestess  he  would  have  pro 
faned. 

This  and  much  more  passed  through  Tarzan's 
memory  as  he  stood  gazing  at  the  long  tiers 
of  dull-yellow  metal.  He  wondered  if  La  still 
ruled  in  the  temples  of  the  ruined  city  whose 
crumbling  walls  rose  upon  the  very  foundations 
about  him.  Had  she  finally  been  forced  into 
a  union  with  one  of  her  grotesque  priests?  It 
seemed  a  hideous  fate,  indeed,  for  one  so  beau 
tiful.  With  a  shake  of  his  head,  Tarzan  stepped 
to  the  flickering  candle,  extinguished  its  feeble 
rays  and  turned  toward  the  exit. 

Behind  him  the  spy  waited  for  him  to  be 
gone.  He  had  learned  the  secret  for  which  he 
had  come,  and  now  he  could  return  at  his  leisure 
to  his  waiting  followers,  bring  them  to  the 
treasure  vault  and  carry  away  all  the  gold  that 
they  could  stagger  under. 

41 


TABZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

The  Waziri  had  reached  the  outer  end  of 
the  tunnel,  and  were  winding  upward  toward 
the  fresh  air  and  the  welcome  starlight  of  the 
kopje's  summit,  before  Tarzan  shook  off  the  de 
taining  hand  of  reverie  and  started  slowly  after 
them. 

Once  again,  and,  he  thought,  for  the  last  time, 
he  closed  the  massive  door  of  the  treasure 
room.  In  the  darkness  behind  him  Werper 
rose  and  stretched  his  cramped  muscles.  He 
stretched  forth  a  hand  and  lovingly  caressed 
a  golden  ingot  on  the  nearest  tier.  He  raised 
it  from  its  immemorial  resting  place  and 
weighed  it  in  his  hands.  He  clutched  it  to  his 
bosom  in  an  ecstasy  of  avarice. 

Tarzan  dreamed  of  the  happy  homecoming 
which  lay  before  him,  of  dear  arms  about  his 
neck,  and  a  soft  cheek  pressed  to  his ;  but  there 
rose  to  dispel  that  dream  the  memory  of  the 
old  witch-doctor  and  his  warning. 

And  then,  in  the  span  of  a  few  brief  seconds, 
the  hopes  of  both  these  men  were  shattered. 
The  one  forgot  even  his  greed  in  the  panic  of 
terror — the  other  was  plunged  into  total  for- 
getfulness  of  the  past  by  a  jagged  fragment  of 
rock  which  gashed  a  deep  cut  upon  his  head. 

42 


CHAPTER  V 

THE   ALTAR   OF    THE   FLAMING   GOD 

IT  WAS  at  the  moment  that  Tarzan  turned 
from  the  closed  door  to  pursue  his  way  to  the 
outer  world.  The  thing  came  without  warning. 
One  instant  all  was  quiet  and  stability — the 
next,  and  the  world  rocked,  the  tortured  sides  of 
the  narrow  passageway  split  and  crumbled, 
great  blocks  of  granite,  dislodged  from  the  ceil 
ing,  tumbled  into  the  narrow  way,  choking  it, 
and  the  walls  bent  inward  upon  the  wreckage. 
Beneath  the  blow  of  a  fragment  of  the  roof, 
Tarzan  staggered  back  against  the  door  to  the 
treasure  room,  his  weight  pushed  it  open  and 
his  body  rolled  inward  upon  the  floor. 

In  the  great  apartment  where  the  treasure 
lay  less  damage  was  wrought  by  the  earth 
quake.  A  few  ingots  toppled  from  the.  higher 
tiers,  a  single  piece  of  the  rocky  ceiling  splin 
tered  off  and  crashed  downward  to  the  floor, 
and  the  walls  cracked,  though  they  did  not 
collapse. 

43 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

There  was  but  the  single  shock,  no  other  fol 
lowed  to  complete  the  damage  undertaken  by 
the  first  Werper,  thrown  to  his  length  by  the 
suddenness  and  violence  of  the  disturbance, 
staggered  to  his  feet  when  he  found  himself 
unhurt  Groping  his  way  toward  the  far  end 
of  the  chamber,  he  sought  the  candle  which  Tar- 
zan  had  left  stuck  in  its  own  wax  upon  the  pro 
truding  end  of  an  ingot 

By  striking  numerous  matches  the  Belgian  at 
last  found  what  he  sought,  and  when,  a  moment 
later,  the  sickly  rays  relieved  the  Stygian  dark 
ness  about  him,  he  breathed  a  nervous  sigh  of 
relief,  for  the  impenetrable  gloom  had  accentu 
ated  the  terrors  of  his  situation. 

As  they  became  accustomed  to  the  light  the 
man  turned  his  eyes  toward  the  door — his  one 
thought  now  was  of  escape  from  this  fright 
ful  tomb — and  as  he  did  so  he  saw  the  body 
of  the  naked  giant  lying  stretched  upon  the 
floor  just  within  the  doorway.  Werper  drew 
back  in  sudden  fear  of  detection;  but  a  second 
glance  convinced  him  that  the  Englishman  was 
dead.  From  a  great  gash  in  the  man's  head  a 
pool  of  blood  had  collected  upon  the  concrete 
floor. 

44 


THE  ALTAR  OF  THE  FLAMING  GOD 

Quickly,  the  Belgian  leaped  over  the  pros 
trate  form  of  his  erstwhile  host,  and  without  a 
thought  of  succor  for  the  man  in  whom,  for 
aught  he  knew,  life  still  remained,  he  bolted 
for  the  passageway  and  safety. 

But  his  renewed  hopes  were  soon  dashed. 
Just  beyond  the  doorway  he  found  the  passage 
completely  clogged  and  choked  by  impenetra 
ble  masses  of  shattered  rock.  Once  more  he 
turned  and  re-entered  the  treasure  vault.  Tak 
ing  the  candle  from  its  place  he  commenced 
a  systematic  search  of  the  apartment,  nor  had 
he  gone  far  before  he  discovered  another  door 
in  the  opposite  end  of  the  room,  a  door  which 
gave  upon  creaking  hinges  to  the  weight  of 
his  body.  Beyond  the  door  lay  another  narrow 
passageway.  Along  this  Werper  made  his  way, 
ascending  a  flight  of  stone  steps  to  another 
corridor  twenty  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
first.  The  flickering  candle  lighted  the  way  be 
fore  him,  and  a  moment  later  he  was  thankful 
for  the  possession  of  this  crude  and  antiquated 
luminant,  which,  a  few  hours  before  he  might 
have  looked  upon  with  contempt,  for  it  showed 
him,  just  in  time,  a  yawning  pit,  apparently 
terminating  the  tunnel  he  was  traversing. 

45 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

Before  him  was  a  circular  shaft.  He  held 
the  candle  above  it  and  peered  downward.  Be 
low  him,  at  a  great  distance,  he  saw  the  light 
reflected  back  from  the  surface  of  a  pool  of 
water.  He  had  come  upon  a  well.  He  raised 
the  candle  above  his  head  and  peered  across 
the  black  void,  and  there  upon  the  opposite  side 
he  saw  the  continuation  of  the  tunnel ;  but  how 
was  he  to  span  the  gulf? 

As  he  stood  there  measuring  the  distance  to 
the  opposite  side  and  wondering  if  he  dared 
venture  so  great  a  leap,  there  broke  suddenly 
upon  his  startled  ears  a  piercing  scream  which 
diminished  gradually  until  it  ended  in  a  series 
of  dismal  moans.  The  voice  seemed  partly  hu 
man,  yet  so  hideous  that  it  might  well  have  em 
anated  from  the  tortured  throat  of  a  lost  soul, 
writhing  in  the  fires  of  hell. 

The  Belgian  shuddered  and  looked  fearfully 
upward,  for  the  scream  had  seemed  to  come 
from  above  him.  As  he  looked  he  saw  an  open 
ing  far  overhead,  and  a  patch  of  sky  pinked 
with  brilliant  stars. 

His  half -formed  intention  to  call  for  help  was 
expunged  by  the  terrifying  cry — where  such 
a  voice  lived,  no  human  creatures  could  dwell. 

46 


THE  ALTAR  OF  THE  FLAMING  GOD 

He  dared  not  reveal  himself  to  whatever  in 
habitants  dwelt  in  the  place  above  him.  He 
cursed  himself  for  a  fool  that  he  had  ever  em 
barked  upon  such  a  mission.  He  wished  him 
self  safely  back  in  the  camp  of  Achmet  Zek, 
and  would  almost  have  embraced  an  opportu 
nity  to  give  himself  up  to  the  military  authori 
ties  of  the  Congo  if  by  so  doing  he  might  be 
rescued  from  the  frightful  predicament  in  which 
he  now  was. 

He  listened  fearfully,  but  the  cry  was  not 
repeated,  and  at  last  spurred  to  desperate 
means,  he  gathered  himself  for  the  leap  across 
the  chasm.  Going  back  twenty  paces,  he  took 
a  running  start,  and  at  the  edge  of  the  well, 
leaped  upward  and  outward  in  an  attempt  to 
gain  the  opposite  side. 

In  his  hand  he  clutched  the  sputtering  can 
dle,  and  as  he  took  the  leap  the  rush  of  air  ex 
tinguished  it  In  utter  darkness  he  flew  through 
space,  clutching  outward  for  a  hold  should  his 
feet  miss  the  invisible  ledge. 

He  struck  the  edge  of  the  floor  of  the  oppo 
site  terminus  of  the  rocky  tunnel  with  his 
knees,  slipped  backward,  clutched  desperately 
for  a  moment,  and  at  last  hung  half  within  and 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

half  without  the  opening ;  but  he  was  safe.  For 
several  minutes  he  dared  not  move ;  but  clung, 
weak  and  sweating,  where  he  lay.  At  last,  cau 
tiously,  he  drew  himself  well  within  the  tun 
nel,  and  again  he  lay  at  full  length  upon  the 
floor,  fighting  to  regain  control  of  his  shattered 
nerves. 

When  his  knees  struck  the  edge  of  the  tun 
nel  he  had  dropped  the  candle.  Presently,  hop 
ing  against  hope  that  it  had  fallen  upon  the 
floor  of  the  passageway,  rather  than  back  into 
the  depths  of  the  well,  he  rose  upon  all  fours 
and  commenced  a  diligent  search  for  the  little 
tallow  cylinder,  which  now  seemed  infinitely 
more  precious  to  him  than  all  the  fabulous 
wealth  of  the  hoarded  ingots  of  Opar. 

And  when,  at  last,  he  found  it,  he  clasped 
it  to  him  and  sank  back  sobbing  and  exhausted. 
For  many  minutes  he  lay  trembling  and  bro 
ken;  but  finally  he  drew  himself  to  a  sitting 
posture,  and  taking  a  match  from  his  pocket, 
lighted  the  stump  of  the  candle  which  re 
mained  to  him.  With  the  light  he  found  it 
easier  to  regain  control  of  his  nerves,  and  pres 
ently  he  was  again  making  his  way  along  the 
tunnel  in  search  of  an  avenue  of  escape.  The 

48 


THE  ALTAR  OF  THE  FLAMING  GOD 

horrid  cry  that  had  come  down  to  him  from 
above  through  the  ancient  well-shaft  still  haunt 
ed  him,  so  that  he  trembled  in  terror  at  even 
the  sounds  of  his  own  cautious  advance. 

He  had  gone  forward  but  a  short  distance, 
when,  to  his  chagrin,  a  wall  of  masonry  barred 
his  farther  progress,  closing  the  tunnel  com 
pletely  from  top  to  bottom  and  from  side  to 
side.  What  could  it  mean?  Werper  was  an 
educated  and  intelligent  man.  His  military 
training  had  taught  him  to  use  his  mind  for  the 
purpose  for  which  it  was  intended.  A  blind 
tunnel  such  as  this  was  senseless.  It  must  con 
tinue  beyond  the  wall  Someone,  at  some  time 
in  the  past,  had  had  it  blocked  for  an  unknown 
purpose  of  his  own.  The  man  fell  to  examin 
ing  the  masonry  by  the  light  of  his  candle.  To 
his  delight  he  discovered  that  the  thin  blocks 
of  hewn  stone  of  which  it  was  constructed  were 
fitted  in  loosely  without  mortar  or  cement.  He 
tugged  upon  one  of  them,  and  to  his  joy  found 
that  it  was  easily  removable.  One  after  an 
other  he  pulled  out  the  blocks  until  he  had 
opened  an  aperture  large  enough  to  admit  his 
body,  then  he  crawled  through  into  a  large,  low 
chamber.  Across  this  another  door  barred  his 

49 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

way;  but  this,  too,  gave  before  his  efforts,  for 
it  was  not  barred.  A  long,  dark  corridor 
showed  before  him,  but  before  he  had  followed 
it  far,  his  candle  burned  down  until  it  scorched 
his  fingers.  With  an  oath  he  dropped  it  to  the 
floor,  where  it  sputtered  for  a  moment  and  went 
out. 

Now  he  was  in  total  darkness,  and  again  ter 
ror  rode  heavily  astride  his  neck.  What  fur 
ther  pitfalls  and  dangers  lay  ahead  he  could 
not  guess ;  but  that  he  was  as  far  as  ever  from 
liberty  he  was  quite  willing  to  believe,  so  de 
pressing  is  utter  absence  of  light  to  one  in  un 
familiar  surroundings. 

Slowly  he  groped  his  way  along,  feeling  with 
his  hands  upon  the  tunnel's  walls,  and  cau 
tiously  with  his  feet  ahead  of  him  upon  the 
floor  before  he  would  take  a  single  forward 
step.  How  long  he  crept  on  thus  he  could  not 
guess;  but  at  last,  feeling  that  the  tunnel's 
length  was  interminable,  and  exhausted  by  his 
efforts,  by  terror,  and  loss  of  sleep,  he  deter 
mined  to  lie  down  and  rest  before  proceeding 
farther. 

When  he  awoke  there  was  no  change  in  the 
surrounding  blackness.  He  might  have  slept 

50 


THE  ALTAR  OF  THE  FLAMING  GOD 

a  second  or  a  day  —  he  could  not  know;  but 
that  he  had  slept  for  some  time  was  attested 
by  the  fact  that  he  felt  refreshed  and  hungry. 

Again  he  commenced  his  groping  advance; 
but  this  time  he  had  gone  but  a  short  distance 
when  he  emerged  into  a  room,  which  was 
lighted  through  an  opening  in  the  ceiling,  from 
which  a  fligfht  of  concrete  steps  led  downward 
to  the  floor  of  the  chamber. 

Above  him,  through  the  aperture,  Werper 
could  see  sunlight  glancing  from  massive  col 
umns,  which  were  twined  about  by  clinging 
vines.  He  listened ;  but  he  heard  no  sound  other 
than  the  soughing  of  the  wind  through  leafy 
branches,  the  hoarse  cries  of  birds,  and  the 
chattering  of  monkeys. 

Boldly  he  ascended  the  stairway,  to  find  him 
self  in  a  circular  court.  Just  before  him  stood 
a  stone  altar,  stained  with  rusty-brown  discol- 
orations.  At  the  time  Werper  gave  no  thought 
to  an  explanation  of  these  stains — later  their 
origin  became  all  too  hideously  apparent  to 
him. 

Besides  the  opening  in  the  floor,  just  behind 
the  altar,  through  which  he  had  entered  the 
court  from  the  subterranean  chamber  below, 

51 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

the  Belgian  discovered  several  doors  leading 
from  the  enclosure  upon  the  level  of  the  floor. 
Above,  and  circling  the  courtyard,  was  a  se 
ries  of  open  balconies.  Monkeys  scampered 
about  the  deserted  ruins,  and  gaily  plumaged 
birds  flitted  in  and  out  among  the  columns  and 
the  galleries  far  above;  but  no  sign  of  human 
presence  was  discernible.  Werper  felt  re 
lieved.  He  sighed,  as  though  a  great  weight 
had  been  lifted  from  his  shoulders.  He  took  a 
step  toward  one  of  the  exits,  and  then  he  halted, 
wide-eyed  in  astonishment  and  terror,  for  al 
most  at  the  same  instant  a  dozen  doors  opened 
in  the  courtyard  wall  and  a  horde  of  fright 
ful  men  rushed  in  upon  him. 

They  were  the  priests  of  the  Flaming  God 
of  Opar — the  same,  shaggy,  knotted,  hideous 
little  men  who  had  dragged  Jane  Clayton  to  the 
sacrificial  altar  at  this  very  spot  years  before. 
Their  long  arms,  their  short  and  crooked  legs, 
their  close-set,  evil  eyes,  and  their  low,  reced 
ing  foreheads  gave  them  a  bestial  appearance 
that  sent  a  qualm  of  paralyzing  fright  through 
the  shaken  nerves  of  the  Belgian. 

With  a  scream  he  turned  to  flee  back  into 
the  lesser  terrors  of  the  gloomy  corridors  aad 

52 


The  shaggy,  knotted,  hideous  little  men  seized  him 


THE  ALTAR  OF  THE  FLAMING  GOD 

apartments  from  which  he  had  just  emerged, 
but  the  frightful  men  anticipated  his  inten 
tions.  They  blocked  the  way;  they  seized  him, 
and  though  he  fell,  groveling  upon  his  knees 
before  them,  begging  for  his  life,  they  bound 
him  and  hurled  him  to  the  floor  of  the  inner 
temple. 

The  rest  was  but  a  repetition  of  what  Tar- 
zan  and  Jane  Clayton  had  passed  through. 
The  priestesses  came,  and  with  them  La,  the 
High  Priestess.  Werper  was  raised  and  laid 
across  the  altar.  Cold  sweat  exuded  from  his 
•every  pore  as  La  raised  the  cruel,  sacrificial 
knife  above  him.  The  death  chant  fell  upon  his 
tortured  ears.  His  staring  eyes  wandered  to 
the  golden  goblets  from  which  the  hideous  vo 
taries  would  soon  quench  their  inhuman  thirst 
in  his  own,  warm  life-blood. 

He  wished  that  he  might  be  granted  the  brief 
respite  of  unconsciousness  before  the  final 
plunge  of  the  keen  blade — and  then  there  was 
a  frightful  roar  that  sounded  almost  in  his 
ears.  The  High  Priestess  lowered  her  dag 
ger.  Her  eyes  went  wide  in  horror.  The  priest 
esses,  her  votaresses,  screamed  and  fled  madly 
toward  the  exits.  The  priests  roared  out  their 

53 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

rage  and  terror  according  to  the  temper  of  their 
courage.  Werper  strained  Ms  neck  about  to 
catch  a  sight  of  the  cause  of  their  panic,  and 
when,  at  last  he  saw  it,  he  too  went  cold  in 
dread,  for  what  his  eyes  beheld  was  the  figure 
of  a  huge  lion  standing  in  the  center  of  the 
temple,  and  already  a  single  victim  lay  man 
gled  beneath  his  cruel  paws. 

Again  the  lord  of  the  wilderness  roared,  turn 
ing  his  baleful  gaze  upon  the  altar.  La  stag 
gered  forward,  reeled,  and  fell  across  Werper 
in  a  swoon. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  ABAB  EAID 

AFTER  their  first  terror  had  subsided  sub 
sequent  to  the  shock  of  the  earthquake,  Ba- 
suli  and  his  warriors  hastened  back  into  the 
passageway  in  search  of  Tarzan  and  two  of 
their  own  number  who  were  also  missing. 

They  found  the  way  blocked  by  jammed  and 
distorted  rock.  For  two  days  they  labored  to 
tear  a  way  through  to  their  imprisoned  friends ; 
but  when,  after  Herculean  efforts,  they  had  un 
earthed  but  a  few  yards  of  the  choked  passage, 
and  discovered  the  mangled  remains  of  one  of 
their  fellows  they  were  forced  to  the  conclusion 
that  Tarzan  and  the  second  Waziri  also  lay  dead 
beneath  the  rock  mass  farther  in,  beyond  human 
aid,  and  no  longer  susceptible  of  it. 

Again  and  again  as  they  labored  they  called 
aloud  the  names  of  their  master  and  their  com 
rade;  but  no  answering  call  rewarded  their 
listening  ears.  At  last  they  gave  up  the  search. 
Tearfully  they  cast  a  last  look  at  the  shattered 

55 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

tomb  of  their  master,  shouldered  the  heavy 
burden  of  gold  that  would  at  least  furnish  com 
fort,  if  not  happiness,  to  their  bereaved  and 
beloved  mistress,  and  made  their  mournful 
way  back  across  the  desolate  valley  of  Opar, 
and  downward  through  the  forests  beyond  to 
ward  the  distant  bungalow. 

And  as  they  marched  what  sorry  fate  was 
already  drawing  down  upon  that  peaceful, 
happy  home! 

From  the  north  came  Achmet  Zek,  riding 
to  the  summons  of  his  lieutenant's  letter.  With 
him  came  his  horde  of  renegade  Arabs,  out 
lawed  marauders,  these,  and  equally  degraded 
blacks,  garnered  from  the  more  debased  and 
ignorant  tribes  of  savage  cannibals  through 
whose  countries  the  raider  passed  to  and  fro 
with  perfect  impunity. 

Mugambi,  the  ebon  Hercules,  who  had  shared 
the  dangers  and  vicissitudes  of  his  beloved 
Bwana,  from  Jungle  Island,  almost  to  the  head 
waters  of  the  Ugambi,  was  the  first  to  note  the 
bold  approach  of  the  sinister  caravan. 

He  it  was  whom  Tarzan  had  left  in  charge 
of  the  warriors  who  remained  to  guard  Lady 
Greystoke,  nor  could  a  braver  or  more  loyal 

56 


THE  ARAB  RAID 


guardian  have  been  found  in  any  clime  or  upon 
any  soil.  A  giant  in  stature,  a  savage,  fear 
less  warrior,  the  huge  black  possessed  also  soul 
and  judgment  in  proportion  to  his  bulk  and  his 
ferocity. 

Not  once  since  his  master  had  departed  had 
he  been  beyond  sight  or  sound  of  the  bungalow, 
except  when  Lady  Greystoke  chose  to  canter 
across  the  broad  plain,  or  relieve  the  monot 
ony  of  her  loneliness  by  a  brief  hunting  ex 
cursion.  On  such  occasions  Mugambi,  mounted 
upon  a  wiry  Arab,  had  ridden  close  at  her 
horse's  heels. 

The  raiders  were  still  a  long  way  off  when 
the  warrior's  keen  eyes  discovered  them.  For 
a  time  he  stood  scrutinizing  the  advancing 
party  in  silence,  then  he  turned  and  ran  rap 
idly  in  the  direction  of  the  native  huts  which 
lay  a  few  hundred  yards  below  the  bungalow. 

Here  he  called  out  to  the  lolling  warriors. 
He  issued  orders  rapidly.  In  compliance  with 
them  the  men  seized  upon  their  weapons  and 
their  shields.  Some  ran  to  call  in  the  workers 
from  the  fields  and  to  warn  the  tenders  of  the 
flocks  and  herds.  The  majority  followed  Mu 
gambi  back  toward  the  bungalow. 

57 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

The  dust  of  the  raiders  was  still  a  long  dis 
tance  away.  Mugambi  could  not  know  posi 
tively  that  it  hid  an  enemy ;  but  he  had  spent  a 
lifetime  of  savage  life  in  savage  Africa,  and 
he  had  seen  parties  before  come  thus  unher 
alded.  Sometimes  they  had  come  in  peace  and 
sometimes  they  had  come  in  war — one  could 
never  tell.  It  was  well  to  be  prepared.  Mu 
gambi  did  not  like  the  haste  with  which  the 
strangers  advanced. 

The  Greystoke  bungalow  was  not  well 
adapted  for  defense.  No  palisade  surrounded 
it,  for,  situated  as  it  was,  in  the  heart  of  loyal 
Waziri,  its  master  had  anticipated  no  possi 
bility  of  an  attack  in  force  by  any  enemy. 
Heavy,  wooden  shutters  there  were  to  close 
the  window  apertures  against  hostile  arrows, 
and  these  Mugambi  was  engaged  in  lowering 
when  Lady  Greystoke  appeared  upon  the  ve 
randa. 

"  Why,  Mugambi!  "  she  exclaimed.  "  What 
has  happened?  Why  are  you  lowering  the 
shutters?  " 

Mugambi  pointed  out  across  the  plain  to 
where  a  white-robed  force  of  mounted  men 
was  now  distinctly  visible. 

58 


THE  ARAB  RAID 


"  Arabs,"  he  explained.  "  They  come  for  no 
good  purpose  in  the,  absence  of  the  Great 
Bwana." 

Beyond  the  neat  lawn  and  the  flowering 
shrubs,  Jane  Clayton  saw  the  glistening  bod 
ies  of  her  WazirL  The  sun  glanced  from  the 
tips  of  their  metal-shod  spears,  picked  out  the 
gorgeous  colors  in  the  feathers  of  their  war 
bonnets,  and  reflected  the  high-lights  from  the 
glossy  skins  of  their  broad  shoulders  and  high 
cheek  bones. 

Jane  Clayton  surveyed  them  with  unmixed 
feelings  of  pride  and  affection.  What  harm 
could  befall  her  with  such  as  these  to  protect 
her! 

The  raiders  had  halted  now,  a  hundred  yards 
out  upon  the  plain.  Mugambi  had  hastened 
down  to  join  his  warriors.  He  advanced  a  few 
yards  before  them  and  raising  his  voice  hailed 
the  strangers.  Achmet  Zek  sat  straight  in  his 
saddle  before  his  henchmen. 

"  Arab!  "  cried  Mugambi.  "  What  do  you 
here?" 

"We  come  in  peace,"  Achmet  Zek  called 
back. 

"  Then  turn  and  go  in  peace,"  replied  Mu- 
59 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

gambi.     "We  do  not  want  you  here.     There 
can  be  no  peace  between  Arab  and  Waziri." 

Mugambi,  although  not  born  a  Waziri,  had 
been  adopted  into  the  tribe,  which  now  con 
tained  no  member  more  jealous  of  its  traditions 
and  its  prowess  than  he. 

Achmet  Zek  drew  to  one  side  of  his  horde, 
speaking  to  his  men  in  a  low  voice.  A  mo 
ment  later,  without  warning,  a  ragged  volley 
was  poured  into  the  ranks  of  the  Waziri.  A 
couple  of  the  warriors  fell,  the  others  were  for 
charging  the  attackers;  but  Mugambi  was  a 
cautious  as  well  as  a  brave  leader.  He  knew 
the  futility  of  charging  mounted  men  armed 
with  muskets.  He  withdrew  his  force  behind 
the  shrubbery  of  the  garden.  Some  he  dis 
patched  to  various  other  parts  of  the  grounds 
surrounding  the  bungalow.  Half  a  dozen  he 
sent  to  the  bungalow  itself  with  instructions 
to  keep  their  mistress  within  doors,  and  to 
protect  her  with  their  lives. 

Adopting  the  tactics  of  the  desert  fighters 
from  which  he  had  sprung,  Achmet  Zek  led 
his  followers  at  a  gallop  in  a  long,  thin  line, 
describing  a  great  circle  which  drew  closer 
and  closer  in  toward  the  defenders. 

60 


THE  ARAB  RAID 


At  that  part  of  the  circle  closest  to  the  Wa- 
ziri,  a  constant  fusillade  of  shots  was  poured 
into  the  bushes  behind  which  the  black  war 
riors  had  concealed  themselves.  The  latter, 
on  their  part,  loosed  their  slim  shafts  at  the 
nearest  of  the  enemy. 

The  Waziri,  justly  famed  for  their  archery, 
found  no  cause  to  blush  for  their  performance 
that  day.  Time  and  again  some  swarthy  horse 
man  threw  hands  above  his  head  and  toppled 
from  his  saddle,  pierced  by  a  deadly  arrow; 
but  the  contest  was  uneven.  .The  Arabs  out 
numbered  the  Waziri ;  their  bullets  penetrated 
the  shrubbery  and  found  marks  that  the  Arab 
riflemen  had  not  even  seen;  and  then  Achmet 
Zek  circled  inward  a  half  mile  above  the  bun 
galow,  tore  down  a  section  of  the  fence,  and 
led  his  marauders  within  the  grounds. 

Across  the  fields  they  charged  at  a  mad  run. 
Not  again  did  they  pause  to  lower  fences,  in 
stead,  they  drove  their  wild  mounts  ^straight 
for  them,  clearing  the  obstacles  as  lightly  as 
winged  gulls. 

Mugambi  saw  them  coming,  and,  calling  those 
of  his  warriors  who  remained,  ran  for  the  bun 
galow  and  the  last  stand.  Upon  the  veranda 

61 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

Lady  Greystoke  stood,  rifle  in  hand.  More 
than  a  single  raider  had  accounted  to  her  steady 
nerves  and  cool  aim  for  his  outlawry;  more 
than  a  single  pony  raced,  riderless,  in  the  wake 
of  the  charging  horde. 

Mugambi  pushed  his  mistress  back  into  the 
greater  security  of  the  interior,  and  with  his 
depleted  force  prepared  to  make  a  last  stand 
against  the  foe. 

On  came  the  Arabs,  shouting  and  waving 
their  long  guns  above  their  heads.  Past  the 
veranda  they  raced,  pouring  a  deadly  fire  into 
the  kneeling  Waziri  who  discharged  their  volley 
of  arrows  from  behind  their  long,  oval  shields 
—  shields  well  adapted,  perhaps,  to  stop  a  hos 
tile  arrow,  or  deflect  a  spear;  but  futile,  quite, 
before  the  leaden  missiles  of  the  riflemen. 

From  beneath  the  half -raised  shutters  of  the 
bungalow  other  bowmen  did  effective  service 
in  greater  security,  and  after  the  first  assault, 
Mugambi  withdrew  his  entire  force  within  the 
building. 

Again  and  again  the  Arabs  charged,  at  last 
forming  a  stationary  circle  about  the  little 
fortress,  and  outside  the  effective  range  of  the 
defenders'  arrows.  From  their  new  position 

62 


THE  ARAB  RAID 


they  fired  at  will  at  the  windows.  One  by  one 
the  Waziri  fell.  Fewer  and  fewer  were  the  ar 
rows  that  replied  to  the  guns  of  the  raiders, 
and  at  last  Achmet  Zek  felt  safe  in  ordering 
an  assault. 

Firing  as  they  ran,  the  bloodthirsty  horde 
raced  for  the  veranda.  A  dozen  of  them  fell 
to  the  arrows  of  the  defenders;  but  the  ma 
jority  reached  the  door.  Heavy  gun  butts  fell 
upon  it.  The  crash  of  splintered  wood  mingled 
with  the  report  of  a  rule  as  Jane  Clayton  fired 
through  the  panels  upon  the  relentless  foe. 

Upon  both  sides  of  the  door  men  fell;  but 
at  last  the  frail  barrier  gave  to  the  vicious  as 
saults  of  the  maddened  attackers ;  it  crumpled 
inward  and  a  dozen  swarthy  murderers  leaped 
into  the  living-room.  At  the  far  end  stood  Jane 
Clayton  surrounded  by  the  remnant  of  her  de 
voted  guardians.  The  floor  was  covered  by 
the  bodies  of  those  who  already  had  given. up 
their  lives  in  her  defense.  In  the  forefront  of 
her  protectors  stood  the  giant  Mugambi.  The 
Arabs  raised  their  rifles  to  pour  in  the  last 
volley  that  would  effectually  end  all  resistance ; 
but  Achmet  Zek  roared  out  a  warning  order 
that  stayed  their  trigger  fingers. 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

"  Fire  not  upon  the  woman!"  lie  cried. 
"  Who  harms  her,  dies.  Take  the  woman 
alive  I" 

The  Arabs  rushed  across  the  room ;  the  Wa- 
ziri  met  them  with  their  heavy  spears.  Swords 
flashed,  long-barreled  pistols  roared  out  their 
sullen  death  dooms.  Mugambi  launched  his 
spear  at  the  nearest  of  the  enemy  with  a  force 
that  drove  the  heavy  shaft  completely  through 
the  Arab's  body,  then  he  seized  a  pistol  from 
another,  and  grasping  it  by  the  barrel  brained 
all  who  forced  their  way  too  near  his  mistress. 

Emulating  his  example  the  few  warriors  who 
remained  to  him  fought  like  demons ;  but  one  by 
one  they  fell,  until  only  Mugambi  remained  to 
defend  the  life  and  honor  of  the  ape-man's 
mate. 

From  across  the  room  Achmet  Zek  watched 
the  unequal  struggle  and  urged  on  his  minions. 
In  his  hands  was  a  jeweled  musket.  Slowly  he 
raised  it  to  his  shoulder,  waiting  until  another 
move  should  place  Mugambi  at  his  mercy  with 
out  endangering  the  lives  of  the  woman  or  any 
of  his  own  followers. 

At  last  the  moment  came,  and  Achmet  Zek 
pulled  the  trigger.  Without  a  sound  the  brave 

64 


THE  ARAB  RAID 


Mugambi  sank  to  the  floor  at  the  feet  of  Jane 
Clayton. 

An  instant  later  she  was  surrounded  and  Dis 
armed.  Without  a  word  they  dragged  her  from 
the  bungalow.  A  giant  negro  lifted  her  to  the 
pommel  of  his  saddle,  and  while  the  raiders 
searched  the  bungalow  and  outhouses  for  plun 
der  he  rode  with  her  beyond  the  gates  and 
waited  the  coming  of  his  master. 

Jane  Clayton  saw  the  raiders  lead  the  horses 
from  the  corral,  and  drive  the  herds  in  from 
the  fields.  She  saw  her  home  plundered  of  all 
that  represented  intrinsic  worth  in  the  eyes 
of  the  Arabs,  and  then  she  saw  the  torch  ap 
plied,  and  the  flames  lick  up  what  remained. 

And  at  last,  when  the  raiders  assembled  after 
glutting  their  fury  and  their  avarice,  and  rode 
away  with  her  toward  the  north,  she  saw  the 
smoke  and  the  flames  rising  far  into  the  heavens 
until  the  winding  of  the  trail  into  the  thick  for 
ests  hid  the  sad  view  from  her  eyes. 

As  the  flames  ate  their  way  into  the  living- 
room,  reaching  out  forked  tongues  to  lick  up 
the  bodies  of  the  dead,  one  of  that  gruesome 
company  whose  bloody  welterings  had  long 
since  been  stilled,  moved  again.  It  was  a  huge 

65 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

black  who  rolled  over  upon  his  side  and  opened 
blood-shot,  suffering  eyes.  Mugambi,  whom  the 
Arabs  had  left  for  dead,  still  lived.  The  hot 
flames  were  almost  upon  him  as  he  raised  him 
self  painfully  upon  his  hands  and  knees  and 
crawled  slowly  toward  the  doorway. 

Again  and  again  he  sank  weakly  to  the  floor; 
but  each  time  he  rose  again  and  continued  his 
pitiful  way  toward  safety.  After  what  seemed 
to  him  an  interminable  time,  during  which  the 
flames  had  become  a  veritable  fiery  furnace  at 
the  far  side  of  the  room,  the  great  black  man 
aged  to  reach  the  veranda,  roll  down  the  steps, 
and  crawl  off  into  the  cool  safety  of  some  near 
by  shrubbery. 

All  night  he  lay  there,  alternately  uncon 
scious  and  painfully  sentient ;  and  in  the  latter 
state  watching  with  savage  hatred  the  lurid 
flames  which  still  rose  from  burning  crib  and 
hay  cock.  A  prowling  lion  roared  close  at 
hand;  but  the  giant  black  was  unafraid.  There 
was  place  for  but  a  single  thought  in  his  savage 
mind — revenge!  revenge!  revenge! 


66 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  JEWEL-BOOM  OF  OPAR 

FOB  some  time  Tarzan  lay  where  he  had 
fallen  upon  the  floor  of  the  treasure  cham 
ber  beneath  the  ruined  walls  of  Opar.  He  lay 
as  one  dead ;  but  he  was  not  dead.  At  length 
he  stirred.  His  eyes  opened  upon  the  utter 
darkness  of  the  room.  He  raised  his  hand  to 
his  head  and  brought  it  away  sticky  with  clot 
ted  blood.  He  sniffed  at  his  fingers,  as  a  wild 
beast  might  sniff  at  the  life-blood  upon  a 
wounded  paw. 

Slowly  he  rose  to  a  sitting  posture — listen 
ing.  No  sound  reached  to  the  buried  depths  of 
his  sepulcher.  He  staggered  to  his  feet,  and 
groped  his  way  about  among  the  tiers  of  ingots. 
What  was  he?  Where  was  he?  His  head 
ached;  but  otherwise  he  felt  no  ill  effects  from 
the  blow  that  had  felled  him.  The  accident  he 
did  not  recall,  nor  did  he  recall  aught  of  what 
had  led  up  to  it. 

He  let  his  hands  grope  unf  amiliarly  over  his 
67 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

limbs,  his  torso,  and  his  head.  He  felt  of  the 
quiver  at  his  back,  the  knife  in  his  loin  cloth. 
Something  struggled  for  recognition  within  his 
brain.  Ah!  he  had  it.  There  was  something 
missing.  He  crawled  about  upon  the  floor,  feel 
ing  with  his  hands  for  the  thing  that  instinct 
warned  him  was  gone.  At  last  he  found  it — 
the  heavy  war  spear  that  in  past  years  had 
formed  so  important  a  feature  of  his  daily  life, 
almost  of  his  very  existence,  so  inseparably 
had  it  been  connected  with  his  every  action  since 
the  long-gone  day  that  he  had  wrested  his  first 
spear  from  the  body  of  a  black  victim  of  his 
savage  training. 

Tarzan  was  sure  that  there  was  another  and 
more  lovely  world  than  that  which  was  confined 
to  the  darkness  of  the  four  stone  walls  sur 
rounding  him.  He  continued  his  search  and  at 
last  found  the  doorway  leading  inward  beneath 
the  city  and  the  temple.  This  he  followed,  most 
incautiously.  He  came  to  the  stone  steps  lead 
ing  upward  to  the  higher  level.  He  ascended 
them  and  continued  onward  toward  the  well. 

Nothing  spurred  his  hurt  memory  to  a  recol 
lection  of  past  familiarity  with  his  surround 
ings.  He  blundered  on  through  the  darkness 

68 


THE  JEWEL-ROOM  OF  OPAR 


as  though  he  were  tranversing  an  open  plain 
under  the  brilliance  of  a  noonday  sun,  and 
suddenly  there  happened  that  which  had  to 
happen  under  the  circumstances  of  his  rash 
advance. 

He  reached  the  brink  of  the  well,  stepped  out 
ward  into  space,  lunged  forward,  and  shot 
downward  into  the  inky  depths  below.  Still 
clutching  his  spear,  he  struck  the  water,  and 
sank  beneath  its  surface,  plumming  the  depths. 

The  fall  had  not  injured  him,  and  when  he 
rose  to  the  surface,  he  shook  the  water  from 
his  eyes,  and  found  that  he  could  see.  Daylight 
was  filtering  into  the  well  from  the  orifice  far 
above  his  head.  It  illumined  the  inner  walls 
faintly.  Tarzan  gazed  about  him.  On  the  level 
with  the  surface  of  the  water  he  saw  a  large 
opening  in  the  dank  and  slimy  wall.  He  swam 
to  it,  and  drew  himself  out  upon  the  wet  floor 
of  a  tum^l. 

Along  this  he  passed ;  but  now  he  went  war 
ily,  for  Tarzan  of  the  Apes  was  learning.  The 
unexpected  pit  had  taught  him  care  in  the  trav 
ersing  of  dark  passageways — he  needed  no 
second  lesson. 

For  a  long  distance  the  passage  went  straight 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

as  an  arrow.  The  floor  was  slippery,  as  though 
at  times  the  rising  waters  of  the  well  over 
flowed  and  flooded  it.  This,  in  itself,  retarded 
Tarzan 's  pace,  for  it  was  with  difficulty  that 
he  kept  his  footing. 

The  foot  of  a  stairway  ended  the  passage. 
Up  this  he  made  his  way.  It  turned  back  and 
forth  many  times,  leading,  at  last,  into  a  small, 
circular  chamber,  the  gloom  of  which  was  re 
lieved  by  a  faint  light  which  found  ingress 
through  a  tubular  shaft  several  feet  in  diameter 
which  rose  from  the  center  of  the  room's  ceil 
ing,  upward  to  a  distance  of  a  hundred  feet  or 
more,  where  it  terminated  in  a  stone  grating 
through  which  Tarzan  could  see  a  blue  and  sun 
lit  sky. 

Curiosity  prompted  the  ape-man  to  investi 
gate  his  surroundings.  Several  metal-bound, 
copper-studded  chests  constituted  the  sole  fur 
niture  of  the  round  room.  Tarzan  let  his  hands 
run  over  these.  He  felt  of  the  copper  studs,  he 
pulled  upon  the  hinges,  and  at  last,  by  chance, 
he  raised  the  cover  of  one. 

An  exclamation  of  delight  broke  from  his  lips 
at  sight  of  the  pretty  contents.  Gleaming 
and  glistening  in  the  subdued  light  of  the  cham- 

70 


THE  JEWEL-ROOM  OF  OPAR 


ber,  lay  a  great  tray  full  of  brilliant  stones. 
Tarzan,  reverted  to  the  primitive  by  his  acci 
dent,  had  no  conception  of  the  fabulous  value 
of  his  find.  To  him  they  were  but  pretty  peb 
bles.  He  plunged  his  hands  into  them  and  let 
the  priceless  gems  filter  through  his  fingers. 
He  went  to  others  of  the  chests,  only  to  find  still 
further  stores  of  precious  stones.  Nearly  all 
were  cut,  and  from  these  he  gathered  a  hand 
ful  and  filled  the  pouch  which  dangled  at  his 
side — the  uncut  stones  he  tossed  back  into  the 
chests. 

Unwittingly,  the  ape-man  had  stumbled  upon 
the  forgotten  jewel-room  of  Opar.  For  ages 
it  had  lain  buried  beneath  the  temple  of  the 
Flaming  God,  midway  of  one  of  the  many  inky 
passages  which  the  superstitious  descendants 
of  the  ancient  Sun,.  Worshipers  had  either  dared 
not  or  cared  not  to  explore. 

Tiring  at  last  of  this  diversion,  Tarzan  took 
up  his  way  along  the  corridor  which  led  upward 
from  the  jewel-room  by  a  steep  incline.  Wind 
ing  and  twisting,  but  always  tending  upward, 
the  tunnel  led  him  nearer  and  nearer  to  the  sur 
face,  ending  finally  in  a  low-ceiled  room,  lighter 
than  any  that  he  had  as  yet  discovered. 

71 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  QPAB 

Above  him  an  opening  in  the  ceiling  at  the 
upper  end  of  a  flight  of  concrete  steps  revealed 
a  brilliant  sunlit  scene.  Tarzan  viewed  the 
vine-covered  columns  in  mild  wonderment.  He 
puckered  his  brows  in  an  attempt  to  recall 
some  recollection  of  similar  things.  He  was 
not  sure  of  himself.  There  was  a  tantalizing 
suggestion  always  present  in  his  mind  that 
something  was  eluding  him — that  he  should 
know  many  things  which  he  did  not  know. 

His  earnest  cogitation  was  rudely  interrupted 
by  a  thunderous  roar  from  the  opening  above 
him.  Following  the  ro$r  came  the  cries  and 
screams  of  men  and  women.  Tarzan  grasped 
his  spear  more  firmly  and  ascended  the  steps. 
A  strange  sight  met  his  eyes  as  he  emerged 
from  the  semi-darkness  of  the  cellar  to  the  bril 
liant  light  of  the  temple. 

The  creatures  he  saw  before  him  he  recog 
nized  for  what, they  were — men  and  women, 
and  a  huge  lion.  The  men  and  women  were 
scuttling  for  the  safety  of  the  exits.  The  lion 
stood  upon  the  body  of  one  who  had  been  less 
fortunate  than  the  others.  He  was  in  the  cen 
ter  of  the  temple.  Directly  before  Tarzan,  a 
woman  stood  beside  a  block  of  stone.  Upon 

72 


THE  JEWEL-BOOM  OF  OPAR 


the  top  of  the  stone  lay  stretched  a  man,  and 
as  the  ape-man  watched  the  scene,  he  saw  the 
lion  glare  terribly  at  the  two  who  remained 
within  the  temple.  Another  thunderous  roar 
broke  from  the  savage  throat,  the  woman 
screamed  and  swooned  across  the  body  of  the 
man  stretched  prostrate  upon  the  stone  altar 
before  her. 

The  lion  advanced  a  few  steps  and  crouched. 
The  tip  of  his  sinuous  tail  twitched  nervously. 
He  was  upon  the  point  of  charging  when  his 
eyes  were  attracted  toward  the  ape-man. 

Werper,  helpless  upon  the  altar,  saw  the 
great  carnivore  preparing  to  leap  upon  him. 
He  saw  the  sudden  change  in  the  beast's  expres 
sion  as  his  eyes  wandered  to  something  beyond 
the  altar  and  out  of  the  Belgian's  view.  He 
saw  the  formidable  creature  rise  to  a  standing 
position.  A  figure  darted  past  Werper.  He 
saw  a  mighty  arm  upraised,  and  a  stout  spear 
shoot  forward  toward  the  lion,  to  bury  itself 
in  the  broad  chest. 

He  saw  the  lion  snapping  and  tearing  at  the 
weapon's  shaft,  and  he  saw,  wonder  of  won 
ders,  the  naked  giant  who  had  hurled  the  missile 
charging  upon  the  great  beast,  only  a  long 

73 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

knife  ready  to  meet  those  ferocious  fangs  and 
talons. 

The  lion  reared  up  to  meet  this  new  enemy. 
The  beast  was  growling  frightfully,  and  then 
upon  the  startled  ears  of  the  Belgian,  broke 
a  similar  savage  growl  from  the  lips  of  the  man 
rushing  upon  the  beast 

By  a  quick  side  step,  Tarzan  eluded  the  first 
swinging  dutch  of  the  lion's  paws.  Darting  to 
the  beast's  side,  he  leaped  upon  the  tawny 
back.  His  arms  encircled  the  maned  neck,  his 
teeth  sank  deep  into  the  brute's  flesh.  Roaring, 
leaping,  rolling  and  struggling,  the  giant  cat 
attempted  to  dislodge  this  savage  enemy,  and 
all  the  while  one  great,  brown  fist  was  driving 
a  long  keen  blade  repeatedly  into  the  beast's 
side. 

During  the  batt|e,  La  regained  consciousness. 
Spellbound,  she  stood  above  her  victim  watch 
ing  the  spectacle.  It  seemed  incredible  that 
a  human  being  could  best  the  king  of  beasts 
in  personal  encounter  and  yet  before  her  very 
eyes  there  was  taking  place  just  such  an  im 
probability. 

At  last  Tarzan 's  knife  found  the  great  heart, 
and  with  a  final,  spasmodic  struggle  the  lion 

74 


THE  JEWEL-BOOM  OF  OPAR 


rolled  over  upon  the  marble  floor,  dead  Leap 
ing  to  his  feet  the  conqueror  placed  a  foot  upon 
the  carcass  of  his  kill,  raised  his  face  toward 
the  heavens,  and  gave  voice  to  so  hideous  a 
cry  that  both  La  and  Werper  trembled  as  it 
reverberated  through  the  temple. 

Then  the  ape-man  turned,  and  Werper  recog 
nized  him  as  the  man  he  had  left  for  dead  in  the 
treasure  room. 


CHAPTER  vm 

THE  ESCAPE  FROM  OPAB 

WEEPER  was  astounded.  Could  this 
creature  be  the  same  dignified  English 
man  who  had  entertained  him  so  graciously  in 
his  luxurious  African  home?  Could  this  wild 
beast,  with  blazing  eyes,  and  bloody  counte 
nance,  be  at  the  same  time  a  man?  Could  the 
horrid,  victory  cry  he  had  but  just  heard  have 
been  formed  in  human  throat? 

Tarzan  was  eyeing  the  man  and  the  woman, 
a  puzzled  expression  in*  his  eyes,  but  there  was 
no  faintest  tinge  of  recognition.  It  was  as 
though  he  had  discovered  some  new  species  of 
living  creature  and  was  marveling  at  his  find. 

La  was  studying  the  ape-man's  features. 
Slowly  her  large  eyes  opened  very  wide. 

"  Tarzan! "  she  exclaimed,  and  then,  in  the 
vernacular  of  the  great  apes  which  constant 
association  with  the  anthropoids  had  rendered 
the  common  language  of  the  Oparians:  "  You 
have  come  back  to  me!  La  has  ignored  the 

76 


THE  ESCAPE  FJftOM  OPAR 


mandates  of  her  religion,  waiting,  always  wait 
ing  for  Tarzan — for  her  Tarzan.  She  has 
taken  no  mate,  for  in  all  the  world  there  was 
but  one  with  whom  La  would  mate.  And  now 
you  have  come  back!  Tell  me,  0  Tarzan,  that 
it  is  for  me  you  have  returned." 

Werper  listened  to  the  unintelligible  jargon. 
He  looked  from  La  to  Tarzan.  "Would  the  lat 
ter  understand  this  strange  tongue?  To  the 
Belgian's  surprise,  the  Englishman  answered 
in  a  language  evidently  identical  to  hers. 

' '  Tarzan, "  he  repeated,  musingly.  "  Tar 
zan.  The  name  sounds  familiar. " 

"It  is  your  name — you  are  Tarzan,"  cried 
La. 

"  I  am  Tarzan?  "  The  ape-man  shrugged. 
"  Well,  it  is  a  good  name — I  know  no  other,  so 
I  will  keep  it ;  but  I  do  not  know  you.  I  did  not 
come  hither  for  you.  Why  I  came,  I  do  not 
know  at  all;  neither  do  I  know  from  whence  I 
came.  Can  you  tell  me?  " 

La  shook  her  head.  "I  never  knew,"  she 
replied. 

Tarzan  turned  toward  Werper  and  put  the 
same  question  to  him;  but  in  the  language  of 
the  great  apes.  The  Belgian  shook  his  head. 

77 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

"  I  do  not  understand  that  language, "  lie 
said  in  French. 

Without  effort,  and  apparently  without  real 
izing  that  he  made  the  change,  Tarzan  repeated 
his  question  in  French.  Werper  suddenly  came 
to  a  full  realization  of  the  magnitude  of  the 
injury  of  which  Tarzan  was  a  victim.  The  man 
had  lost  his  memory — no  longer  could  he  rec 
ollect  past  events.  The  Belgian  was  upon  the 
point  of  enlightening  him,  when  it  suddenly  oc- 
cured  to  him  that  by  keeping  Tarzan  in  ignor 
ance,  for  a  time  at  least,  of  his  true  identity,  it 
might  be  possible  to  turn  the  ape-man's  mis 
fortune  to  his  own  advantage. 

"  I  cannot  tell  you  from  whence  you  came," 
he  said;  "  but  this  I  can  tell  you — if  we  do  not 
get  out  of  this  horrible  place  we  shall  both  be 
slain  upon  this  bloody  altar.  The  woman  was 
about  to  plunge  her  knife  into  my  heart  when 
the  lion  interrupted  the  fiendish  ritual.  Come ! 
Before  they  recover  from  their  fright  and  reas 
semble,  let  us  find  a  way  out  of  their  damnable 
temple." 

Tarzan  turned  again  toward  La. 

"  Why,"  he  asked,  "  would  you  have  killed 
this  man?  Are  you  hungry!  " 

78 


THE  ESCAPE  FROM  OPAE 


The  High  Priestess  cried  out  in  disgust. 

"Did  he  attempt  to  kill  you? "  continued 
Tarzan. 

The  woman  shook  her  head. 

"  Then  why  should  you  have  wished  to  kill 
him?  "  Tarzan  was  determined  to  get  to  the 
bottom  of  the  thing. 

La  raised  her  slender  arm  and  pointed 
toward  the  sun. 

* '  "We  were  offering  up  his  soul  as  a  gift  to 
the  Flaming  God,"  she  said. 

Tarzan  looked  puzzled.  He  was  again  an 
ape,  and  apes  do  not  understand  such  matters 
as  souls  and  Flaming  Gods. 

"  Do  you  wish  to  die?  "  he  asked  Werper. 

The  Belgian  assured  him,  with  tears  in  his 
eyes,  that  he  did  not  wish  to  die. 

"•Very  well  then,  you  shall  not,"  said  Tar 
zan.  "  Come!  We  will  go.  This  she  would 
kill  you  and  keep  me  for  herself.  It  is  no  place 
anyway  for  a  Mangani.  I  should  soon  die,  shut 
up  behind  these  stone  walls." 

He  turned  toward  La.  ' '  We  are  going  now," 
he  said. 

The  woman  rushed  forward  and  seized  the 
ape-man's  hands  in  hers. 

79 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

"  Do  not  leave  me! "  she  cried.  "  Stay,  and 
you  shall  be  High  Priest.  La  loyes  you.  All 
Opar  shall  be  yours.  Slaves  shall  wait  upon 
you.  Stay,  Tarzan  of  the  Apes,  and  let  love 
reward  you/' 

The  ape-man  pushed  the  kneeling  woman 
aside.  "  Tarzan  does  not  desire  you,"  he  said, 
simply,  and  stepping  to  Werper 's  side  he  cut 
the  Belgian's  bonds  and  motioned  him  to  fol 
low. 

Panting — her  face  convulsed  with  rage,  La 
sprang  to  her  feet. 

"  Stay,  you  shall!  "  she  screamed.  "  La  will 
have  you — if  she  cannot  have  you  alive,  she 
will  have  you  dead,"  and  raising  her  face  to 
the  sun  she  gave  voice  to  the  same  hideous 
shriek  that  Werper  had  heard  once  before  and 
Tarzan  many  times. 

In  answer  to  her  cry  a  babel  of  voices  broke 
from  the  surrounding  chambers  and  corridors. 

"Come,  Guardian  Priests!"  she  cried. 
'  *  The  infidels  have  profaned  the  holiest  of  the 
holies.  Come!  Strike  terror  to  their  hearts; 
defend  La  and  her  altar;  wash  clean  the  temple 
with  the  blood  of  the  polluters." 

Tarzan  understood,  though  Werper  did  not. 
80 


THE  ESCAPE  FROM  OPAR 


The  former  glanced  at  the  Belgian  and  saw 
that  he  was  unarmed.  Stepping  quickly  to  La's 
side  the  ape-man  seized  her  in  hfs  strong  arms 
and  though  she  fought  with  all  the  mad  savage 
ry  of  a  demon,  he  soon  disarmed  her,  hand 
ing  her  long,  sacrificial  knife  to  Werper. 

"  You  will  need  this,"  he  said,  and  then  from 
each  doorway  a  horde  of  the  monstrous,  little 
men  of  Opar  streamed  into  the  temple. 

They  were  armed  with  bludgeons  and  knives, 
and  fortified  in  their  courage  by  fanatical  hate 
and  frenzy.  Werper  was  terrified.  Tarzan 
stood  eyeing  the  foe  in  proud  disdain.  Slowly 
he  advanced  toward  the  exit  he  had  chosen  to 
utilize  in  making  his  way  from  the  temple.  A 
burly  priest  barred  his  way.  Behind  the  first 
was  a  score  of  others.  Tarzan  swung  his  heavy 
spear,  clublike,  down  upon  the  skull  of  the 
priest.  The  fellow  collapsed,  his  head  crushed. 

Again  and  again  the  weapon  fell  as  Tarzan 
made  his  way  slowly  toward  the  doorway. 
Werper  pressed  close  behind,  casting  backward 
glances  toward  the  shrieking,  dancing  mob  men 
acing  their  rear.  He  held  the  sacrificial  knife 
ready  to  strike  whoever  might  come  within  its 
reach ;  but  none  came.  For  a  time  he  wondered 

81 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

that  they  should  so  bravely  battle  with  the  giant 
ape-man,  yet  hesitate  to  rush  upon  him,  who 
was  relatively  so  weak.  Had  they  done  so  he 
knew  that  he  must  have  fallen  at  the  first 
charge.  Tarzan  had  reached  the  doorway  over 
the  corpses  of  all  that  had  stood  to  dispute 
his  way,  before  Werper  guessed  at  the  reason 
for  his  immunity.  The  priests  feared  the  sac 
rificial  knife !  Willingly  would  they  face  death 
and  welcome  it  if  it  came  while  they  defended 
their  High  Priestess  and  her  altar;  but  evident 
ly  there  were  deaths,  and  deaths.  Some  strange 
superstition  must  surround  that  polished 
blade,  that  no  Oparian  cared  to  chance  a  death 
thrust  from  it,  yet  gladly  rushed  to  the  slaugh 
ter  of  the  ape-man's  flaying  spear. 

Once  outside  the  temple  court,  Werper  com 
municated  his  discovery  to  Tarzan.  The  ape- 
man  grinned,  and  let  Werper  go  before  him, 
brandishing  the  jeweled  and  holy  weapon.  Like 
leaves  before  a  gale,  the  Oparians  scattered  in 
all  directions  and  Tarzan  and  the  Belgian  found 
a  clear  passage  through  the  corridors  and 
chambers  of  the  ancient  temple. 

The  Belgian's  eyes  went  wide  as  they  passed 
through  the  room  of  the  seven  pillars  of  solid 

82 


THE  ESCAPE  FROM  OPAR 


gold.  With  ill-concealed  avarice  he  looked  upon 
the  age-old,  golden  tablets  set  in  the  walls  of 
nearly  every  room  and  down  the  sides  of  many 
of  the  corridors.  To  the  ape-man  all  this  wealth 
appeared  to  mean  nothing. 

On  the  two  went,  chance  leading  them  toward 
the  broad  avenue  which  lay  between  the  stately 
piles  of  the  half -ruined  edifices  and  the  inner 
wall  of  the  city.  Great  apes  jabbered  at  them 
and  menaced  them;  but  Tarzan  answered  them 
after  their  own  kind,  giving  back  taunt  for 
taunt,  insult  for  insult,  challenge  for  challenge. 

Werper  saw  a  hairy  bull  swing  down  from 
a  broken  column  and  advance,  stiff -legged  and 
bristling,  toward  the  naked  giant.  The  yellow 
fangs  were  bared,  angry  snarls  and  barkings 
rumbled  threateningly  through  the  thick  and 
hanging  lips. 

The  Belgian  watched  his  companion.  To  his 
horror,  he  saw  the  man  stoop  until  his  closed 
knuckles  rested  upon  the  ground  as  did  those 
of  the  anthropoid.  He  saw  him  circle,  stiff- 
legged  about  the  circling  ape.  He  heard  the 
same  bestial  barkings  and  growlings  issue  from 
the  human  throat  that  were  coming  from  the 
mouth  of  the  brute.  Had  his  eyes  been  closed 

83 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

he  could  not  have  known  but  that  two  giant 
apes  were  bridling  for  combat. 

But  there  was  no  battle.  It  ended  as  the  ma 
jority  of  such  jungle  encounters  end — one  of 
the  boasters  loses  his  nerve,  and  becomes  sud 
denly  interested  in  a  blowing  leaf,  a  beetle,  or 
the  lice  upon  his  hairy  stomach. 

In  this  instance  it  was  the  anthropoid  that 
retired  in  stiff  dignity  to  inspect  an  unhappy 
caterpillar,  which  he  presently  devoured.  For 
a  moment  Tarzan  seemed  inclined  to  pursue  the 
argument  He  swaggered  truculently,  stuck  out 
his  chest,  roared  and  advanced  closer  to  the 
bull.  It  was  with  difficulty  that  Werper  finally 
persuaded  him  to  leave  well  enough  alone  and 
continue  his  way  from  the  ancient  city  of  the 
Sun  Worshipers. 

The  two  searched  for  nearly  an  hour  before 
they  found  the  narrow  exit  through  the  inner 
wall.  From  there  the  well-worn  trail  led  them 
beyond  the  outer  fortification  to  the  desolate 
valley  of  Opar. 

Tarzan  had  no  idea,  in  so  far  as  Werper 
could  discover,  as  to  where  he  was  or  whence 
he  came.  He  wandered  aimlessly  about,  search 
ing  for  food,  which  he  discovered  beneath  small 

84 


THE  ESCAPE  FROM  OPAR 


rocks,  or  hiding  in  the  shade  of  the  scant  brush 
which  dotted  the  ground. 

The  Belgian  was  horrified  by  the  hideous 
menu  of  his  companion.  Beetles,  rodents  and 
caterpillars  were  devoured  with  seeming  relish. 
Tarzan  was  indeed  an  ape  again. 

At  last  Werper  succeeded  in  leading  his  com 
panion  toward  the  distant  hills  which  mark  the 
northwestern  boundary  of  the  valley,  and  to 
gether  the  two  set  out  in  the  direction  of  the 
Greystoke  bungalow. 

What  purpose  prompted  the  Belgian  in  lead 
ing  the  victim  of  his  treachery  and  greed  back 
toward  his  former  home  it  is  difficult  to  guess, 
unless  it  was  that  without  Tarzan  there  could 
be  no  ransom  for  Tarzan 's  wife. 

That  night  they  camped  in  the  valley  beyond 
the  hills,  and  as  they  sat  before  a  little  fire 
where  cooked  a  wild  pig  that  had  fallen  to  one 
of  Tarzan 's  arrows,  the  latter  sat  lost  in  specu 
lation.  He  seemed  continually  to  be  trying  to 
grasp  some  mental  image  which  as  constantly 
eluded  him. 

At  last  he  opened  the  leathern  pouch  which 
hung  at  his  side.  From  it  he  poured  into  the 
palm  of  his  hand  a  quantity  of  glittering  gems. 

85 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

The  firelight  playing  upon  them  conjured  a 
multitude  of  scintillating  rays,  and  as  the  wide 
eyes  of  the  Belgian  looked  on  in  rapt  fascina 
tion,  the  man's  expression  at  last  acknowledged 
a  tangible  purpose  in  courting  the  society  of 
the  ape-man. 


86 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  THEFT  OP  THE  JEWELS 

FOR  two  days  Werper  sought  for  the  party 
that  had  accompanied  him  from  the  camp 
to  the  barrier  cliffs;  but  not  until  late  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  second  day  did  he  find  clew 
to  its  whereabouts,  and  then  in  such  gruesome 
form  that  he  was  totally  unnerved  by  the  sight. 

In  an  open  glade  he  came  upon  the  bodies 
of  three  of  the  blacks,  terribly  mutilated,  nor 
did  it  require  considerable  deductive  power  to 
explain  their  murder.  Of  the  little  party  only 
these  three  had  not  been  slaves.  The  others, 
evidently  tempted  to  hope  for  freedom  from 
their  cruel  Arab  master,  had  taken  advantage 
of  their  separation  from  the  main  camp,  to  slay 
the  three  representatives  of  the  hated  power 
;which  held  them  in  slavery,  and  vanish  into  the 
•jungle. 

Cold  §weat  exuded  from  Werper 's  forehead 
as  he  contemplated  the  fate  which  chance  had 
permitted  him  to  escape,  for  had  he  been  pres- 

87 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

ent  when  the  conspiracy  bore  fruit,  he,  too, 
must  have  been  of  the  garnered. 

Tarzan  showed  not  the  slightest  surprise  or 
interest  in  the  discovery.  Inherent  in  him  was 
a  calloused  familiarity  with  violent  death.  The 
refinements  of  his  recent  civilization  expunged 
by  the  force  of  the  sad  calamity  which  had  be 
fallen  him,  left  only  the  primitive  sensibilities 
which  his  childhood's  training  had  imprinted 
indelibly  upon  the  fabric  of  his  mind. 

The  training  of  Kala,  the  examples  and  pre 
cepts  of  Kerchak,  of  Tublat,  and  of  Terkoz  now 
formed  the  basis  of  his  every  thought  and  ac 
tion.  He  retained  a  mechanical  knowledge  of 
French  and  English  speech.  Werper  had  spo 
ken  to  him  in  French,  and  Tarzan  had  replied 
in  the  same  tongue  without  conscious  realiza 
tion  that  he  had  departed  from  the  anthropoi- 
dal  speech  in  which  he  had  addressed  La.  Had 
Werper  used  English,  the  result  would  have 
been  the  same. 

Again,  that  night,  as  the  two  sat  before  their 
camp  fire,  Tarzan  played  with  his  shining  bau 
bles.  Werper  asked  him  what  they  were  and 
where  he  had  found  them.  The  ape-man  re 
plied  that  they  were  gay-colored  stones,  with 

88 


THE  THEFT  OF  THE  JEWELS 

which  he  purposed  fashioning  a  necklace,  and 
that  he  had  found  them  far  beneath  the  sacri 
ficial  court  of  the  temple  of  the  Flaming  God. 

Werper  was  relieved  to  find  that  Tarzan  had 
no  conception  of  the  value  of  the  gems»  This 
would  make  it  easier  for  the  Belgian  to  obtain 
possession  of  them.  Possibly  the  man  would 
give  them  to  him  for  the  asking.  "Werper 
reached  out  his  hand  toward  the  little  pile  that 
Tarzan  had  arranged  upon  a  piece  of  flat  wood 
before  him. 

"Let  me  see  them,"  said  the  Belgian. 

Tarzan  placed  a  large  palm  over  his  treas 
ure.  He  bared  his  fighting  fangs,  and  growled. 
Werper  withdrew  his  hand  more  quickly  than 
he  had  advanced  it.  Tarzan  resumed  his  play 
ing  with  the  gems,  and  his  conversation  with 
Werper  as  though  nothing  unusual  had  oc 
curred.  He  had  but  exhibited  the  beast's  jeal 
ous  protective  instinct  for  a  possession.  When 
he  killed  he  shared  the  meat  with  Werper;  but 
had  Werper  ever,  by  accident,  laid  a,  hand  upon 
Tarzan 's  share,  he  would  have  aroused  the 
same  savage,  and  resentful  warning. 

From  that  occurrence  dated  the  beginning 
of  a  great  fear  in  the  breast  of  the  Belgian  for 

89 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

his  savage  companion.  He  had  never  under 
stood  the  transformation  that  had  been  wrought 
in  Tarzan  by  the  blow  upon  his  head,  other  than 
to  attribute  it  to  a  form  of  amnesia.  That  Tar 
zan  had  once  been,  in  truth,  a  savage,  jungle 
beast,  Werper  had  not  known,  and  so,  of  course, 
he  could  not  guess  that  the  man  had  reverted 
to  the  state  in  which  his  childhood  and  young 
manhood  had  been  spent. 

Now  Werper  saw  in  the  Englishman  a  dan 
gerous  maniac,  whom  the  slightest  untoward 
accident  might  turn  upon  him  with  rending 
fangs.  Not  for  a  moment  did  Werper  attempt 
to  delude  himself  into  the  belief  that  he  could 
defend  himself  successfully  against  an  attack 
by  the  ape-man.  His  one  hope  lay  in  eluding 
him,  and  making  for  the  far  distant  camp  of 
Achmet  Zek  as  rapidly  as  he  could;  but  armed 
only  with  the  sacrificial  knife,  Werper  shrank 
from  attempting  the  journey  through  the  jun 
gle.  Tarzan  constituted  a  protection  that  was 
by  no  means  despicable,  even  in  the  face  of  the 
larger  carnivora,  as  Werper  had  reason  to  ac 
knowledge  from  the  evidence  he  had  witnessed 
in  the  Oparian  temple. 

Too,  Werper  had  his  covetous  soul  set  upon 
90 


THE  THEFT  OF  THE  JEWELS 

the  pouch,  of  gems,  and  so  he  was  torn  between 
the  various  emotions  of  avarice  and  fear.  But 
avarice  it  was  that  burned  most  strongly  in 
his  breast,  to  the  end  that  he  dared  the  dan 
gers  and  suffered  the  terrors  of  constant,  as 
sociation  with  him  he  thought  a  mad  man, 
rather  than  give  up  the  hope  of  obtaining  pos 
session  of  the  fortune  which  the  contents  of 
the  little  pouch  represented. 

Achmet  Zek  should  know  nothing  of  these  — 
these  would  be  for  Werper  alone,  and  so  soon 
as  he  could  encompass  his  design  he  would 
reach  the  coast  and  take  passage  for  Amer 
ica,  where  he  could  conceal  himself  beneath 
the  veil  of  a  new  identity  and  enjoy  to  some 
measure  the  fruits  of  his  theft.  He  had  it  all 
planned  out,  did  Lieutenant  Albert  Werper, 
living  in  anticipation  the  luxurious  life  of  the 
idle  rich.  He  even  found  himself  regretting 
that  America  was  so  provincial,  and  that  no 
where  in  the  new  world  was  a  city  that  might 
compare  with  his  beloved  Brussels. 

It  was  upon  the  third  day  of  their  progress 
from  Opar  that  the  keen  ears  of  Tarzan  caught 
the  sound  of  men  behind  them.  Werper  heard 
nothing  above  the  humming  of  the  jungle  in- 

91 


iTARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

sects,  and  the  chattering  life  of  the  lesser  mon 
keys  and  the  birds. 

For  a  time  Tarzan  stood  in  statuesque  si 
lence,  listening,  his  sensitive  nostrils  dilating 
as  he  assayed  each  passing  breeze.  Then  he 
withdrew  Werper  into  the  concealment  of  thick 
brush,  and  waited.  Presently,  along  the  game 
trail  that  Werper  and  Tarzan  had  been  follow 
ing,  there  came  in  sight  a  sleek,  black  warrior, 
alert  and  watchful. 

In  single  file  behind  him,  there  followed, 
one  after  another,  near  fifty  others,  each  bur 
dened  with  two  dull-yellow  ingots  lashed  upon 
his  back.  Werper  recognized  the  party  imme 
diately  as  that  which  had  accompanied  Tarzan 
on  his  journey  to  Opar.  He  glanced  at  the 
ape-man;  but  in  the  savage,  watchful  eyes  he 
saw  no  recognition  of  Basuli  and  those  other 
loyal  Waziri. 

When  all  had  passed,  Tarzan  rose  and 
emerged  from  concealment.  He  looked  down 
the  trail  in  the  direction  the  party  had  gone. 
Then  he  turned  to  Werper. 

"  We  will  follow  and  slay  them,"  he  said. 

"  Why?  "  asked  the  Belgian. 

"They  are  black,"  explained  Tarzan.  "It 
92 


THE  THEFT  OF  THE  JEWELS 

was  a  black  who  killed  Kala.    They  are  the  en 
emies  of  the  Manganis." 

Werper  did  not  relish  the  idea  of  engaging  in 
a  battle  with  Basuli  and  his  fierce  fighting  men. 
And,  again,  he  had  welcomed  the  sight  of  them 
returning  toward  the  Greystoke  bungalow,  for 
he  had  begun  to  have  doubts  as  to  his  ability 
to  retrace  his  steps  to  .the  Waziri  country. 
Tarzan,  he  knew,  had  not  the  remotest  idea  of 
whither  they  were  going.  By  keeping  at  a  safe 
distance  behind  the  laden  warriors,  they  would 
have  no  difficulty  in  following  them  home.  Once 
at  the  bungalow,  Werper  knew  the  way  to  the 
camp  of  Achmet  Zek.  There  was  still  another 
reason  why  he  did  not  wish  to  interfere  with 
the  Waziri — they  were  bearing  the  great  bur 
den  of  treasure  in  the  direction  he  wished  it 
borne.  The  farther  they  took  it,  the  less  the 
distance  that  he  and  Achmet  Zek  would  have  to 
transport  it. 

He  argued  with  the  ape-man,  therefore, 
against  the  latter 's  desire  to  exterminate  the 
blacks,  and  at  last  he  prevailed  upon  Tarzan 
to  follow  them  in  peace,  saying  that  he  was  sure 
they  would  lead  them  out  of  the  forest  into  a 
rich  country,  teeming  with  game. 

93 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

It  was  many  marches  from  Opar  to  the  Waziri 
country;  but  at  last  came  the  hour  when  Tarzan 
and  the  Belgian,  following  the  trail  of  the  war 
riors,  topped  the  last  rise,  and  saw  before  them 
the  broad  Waziri  plain,  the  winding  river,  and 
the  distant  forests  to  the  north  and  west. 

A  mile  or  more  ahead  of  them,  the  line  of 
warriors  was  creeping  like  a  giant  caterpil 
lar  through  the  tall  grasses  of  the  plain.  Be 
yond,  grazing  herds  of  zebra,  hartebeest,  and 
topi  dotted  the  level  landscape,  while  closer  to 
the  river  a  bull  buffalo,  his  head  and  shoulders 
protruding  from  the  reeds  watched  the  advanc 
ing  blacks  for  a  moment,  only  to  turn  at  last 
and  disappear  into  the  safety  of  his  dank  and 
gloomy  retreat. 

Tarzan  looked  out  across  the  familiar  vista 
with  no  faintest  gleam  of  recognition  in  his 
eyes.  He  saw  the  game  animals,  and  his  mouth 
watered;  but  he  did  not  look  in  the  direction 
of  his  bungalow.  Werper,  however,  did.  A 
puzzled  expression  entered  the  Belgian's  eyes. 
He  shaded  them  with  his  palms  and  gazed  long 
and  earnestly  toward  the  spot  where  the  bun 
galow  had  stood.  He  could  not  credit  the  tes 
timony  of  his  eyes — there  was  no  bungalow  — 

94 


THE  THEFT  OF  THE  JEWELS 

no  barns  —  no  outhouses.    The  corrals,  the  hay 
stacks — all  were  gone.    What  conld  it  mean? 

And  then,  slowly  there  filtered  into  Werper's 
consciousness  an  explanation  of  the  havoc  that 
had  been  wrought  in  that  peaceful  valley  since 
last  his  eyes  had  rested  upon  it — Achmet  Zek 
had  been  there ! 

Basuli  and  his  warriors  had  noted  the  devas 
tation  the  moment  they  had  come  in  sight  of 
the  farm.  Now  they  hastened  on  toward  it  talk 
ing  excitedly  among  themselves  in  animated 
speculation  upon  the  cause  and  meaning  of  the 
catastrophe. 

When,  at  last  they  crossed  the  trampled 
garden  and  stood  before  the  charred  ruins  of 
their  master's  bungalow,  their  greatest  fears 
became  convictions  in  the  light  of  the  evidence 
about  them. 

Remnants  of  human  dead,  half  devoured  by 
prowling  hyenas  and  others  of  the  carnivora 
which  infested  the  region,  lay  rotting  upon  the 
ground,  and  among  the  corpses  remained  suf 
ficient  remnants  of  their  clothing  and  orna 
ments  to  make  clear  to  Basuli  the  frightful 
story  of  the  disaster  that  had  befallan  his 
master's  house. 

95 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

"  The  Arabs/'  lie  said,  as  Ms  men  clustered 
about  him. 

The  Waziri  gazed  about  in  mute  rage  for 
several  minutes.  Everywhere  they  encountered 
only  further  evidence  of  the  ruthlessness  of  the 
cruel  enemy  that  had  come  during  the  Great 
Bwana's  absence  and  laid  waste  his  property. 

"  What  did  they  with  '  Lady '» "  asked  one 
of  the  blacks. 

They  had  always  called  Lady  Greystoke  thus. 

"  The  women  they  would  have  taken  with 
them,"  said  Basuli.  "  Our  women  and  his." 

A  giant  black  raised  his  spear  above  his  head, 
and  gave  voice  to  a  savage  cry  of  rage  and  hate. 
The  others  followed  his  example.  Basuli  si 
lenced  them  with  a  gesture. 

"  This  is  no  time  for  useless  noises  of  the 
mouth,"  he  said.  "The  Great  Bwana  has 
taught  us  that  it  is  acts  by  which  things  are 
done,  not  words.  Let  us  save  our  breath — we 
shall  need  it  all  to  follow  up  the  Arabs  and  slay 
them.  If  '  Lady '  and  our  women  live  the 
greater  the  need  of  haste,  and  warriors  cannot 
travel  fast  upon  empty  lungs." 

From  the  shelter  of  the  reeds  along  the  river, 
Werper  and  Tarzan  watched  the  blacks.  They 

96 


THE  THEFT  OF  THE  JEWELS 

saw  them  dig  a  trench  with  their  knives  and 
fingers.  They  saw  them  lay  their  yellow  bur 
dens  in  it  and  scoop  the  overturned  earth  back 
over  the  tops  of  the  ingots. 

Tarzan  seemed  little  interested,  after  Werper 
had  assured  him  that  that  which  they  buried 
was  not  good  to  eat ;  but  Werper  was  intensely 
interested.  He  would  have  given  much  had  he 
had  his  own  followers  with  him,  that  he  might 
take  away  the  treasure  as  soon  as  the  blacks 
left,  for  he  was  sure  that  they  would  leave  this 
scene  of  desolation  and  death  as  soon  as  pos 
sible. 

The  treasure  buried,  the  blacks  removed 
themselves  a  short  distance  up  wind  from  the 
fetid  corpses,  where  they  made  camp,  that  they 
might  rest  before  setting  out  in  pursuit  of  the 
Arabs.  It  was  already  dusk.  Werper  and 
Tarzan  sat  devouring  some  pieces  of  meat  they 
had  brought  from  their  last  camp.  The  Bel 
gian  was  occupied  with  his  plans  for  the  imme 
diate  future.  He  was  positive  that  the  Waziri 
would  pursue  Achmet  Zek,  for  he  knew  enough 
of  savage  warfare,  and  of  the  characteristics 
of  the  Arabs  and  their  degraded  followers  to 
guess  that  they  had  carried  the  Waziri  women 

97 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

off  into  slavery.  This  alone  would  assure  im 
mediate  pursuit  by  so  warlike  a  people  as  the 
Waziri. 

Werper  felt  that  he  should  find  the  means 
and  the  opportunity  to  push  on  ahead,  that  he 
might  warn  Achmet  Zek  of  the  coming  of  Ba- 
suli,  and  also  of  the  location  of  the  buried 
treasure.  What  the  Arab  would  now  do  with 
Lady  Greystoke,  in  view  of  the  mental  affliction 
of  her  husband,  Werper  neither  knew  nor  cared. 
It  was  enough  that  the  golden  treasure  buried 
upon  the  site  of  the  burned  bungalow  was  in 
finitely  more  valuable  than  any  ransom  that 
would  have  occurred  even  to  the  avaricious 
mind  of  the  Arab,  and  if  Werper  could  persuade 
the  raider  to  share  even  a  portion  of  it  with 
him  he  wouid  be  well  satisfied. 

But  by  far  the  most  important  consideration, 
to  Werper,  at  least,  was  the  incalculably  valua 
ble  treasure  in  the  little  leathern  pouch  at  Tar- 
zan's  side.  If  he  could  but  obtain  possession 
of  this!  He  must!  He  would! 

His  eyes  wandered  to  the  object  of  his  greed. 
They  measured  Tarzan's  giant  frame,  and 
rested  upon  the  rounded  muscles  of  his  arms. 
It  was  hopeless.  What  could  he,  Werper,  hope 

98 


THE  THEFT  OF  THE  JEWELS 

to  accomplish,  other  than  his  own  death,  by  an 
attempt  to  wrest  the  gems  from  their  savage 
owner? 

Disconsolate,  Werper  threw  himself  upon  his 
side.  His  head  was  pillowed  on  one  arm,  the 
other  rested  across  his  face  in  such  a  way  that 
his  eyes  were  hidden  from  the  ape-man,  though 
one  of  them  was  fastened  upon  him  from  be 
neath  the  shadow  of  the  Belgian's  forearm. 
For  a  time  he  lay  thus,  glowering  at  Tarzan, 
and  originating  schemes  for  plundering  him  of 
his  treasure  —  schemes  that  were  discarded  as 
futile  as  rapidly  as  they  were  born. 

Tarzan  presently  let  his  own  eyes  rest  upon 
Werper.  The  Belgian  saw  that  he  was  being 
watched,  and  lay  very  still.  After  a  few  mo 
ments  he  simulated  the  regular  breathing  of 
deep  slumber. 

Tarzan  had  been  thinking.  He  had  seen  the 
Waziri  bury  their  belongings.  Werper  had 
told  him  that  they  were  hiding  them  lest  some 
one  find  them  and  take  them  away.  This  seemed 
to  Tarzan  a  splendid  plan  for  safeguarding 
valuables.  Since  Werper  had  evinced  a  desire 
to  possess  his  glittering  pebbles,  Tarzan,  with 
the  suspicions  of  a  savage,  had  guarded  the 

99 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

baubles,  of  whose  worth  he  was  entirely  igno 
rant,  as  zealously  as  though  they  spelled  life  or 
death  to  him. 

For  a  long  time  the  ape-man  sat  watching 
his  companion.  At  last,  convinced  that  he  slept, 
Tarzan  withdrew  his  hunting  knife  and  com 
menced  to  dig  a  hole  in  the  ground  before  him. 
With  the  blade  he  loosened  up  the  earth,  and 
with  his  hands  he  scooped  it  out  until  he  had 
excavated  a  little  cavity  a  few  inches  in  diam 
eter,  and  five  or  six  inches  in  depth.  Into  this 
he  placed  the  pouch  of  jewels.  Werper  almost 
forgot  to  breathe  after  the  fashion  of  a  sleeper 
as  he  saw  what  the  ape-man  was  doing  —  he 
scarce  repressed  an  ejaculation  of  satisfac 
tion. 

Tarzan  became  suddenly  rigid  as  his  keen 
ears  noted  the  cessation  of  the  regular  inspira 
tions  and  expirations  of  his  companion.  His 
narrowed  eyes  bored  straight  down  upon  the 
Belgian.  Werper  felt  that  he  was  lost — he 
must  risk  all  on  his  ability  to  carry  on  the  de 
ception.  He  sighed,  threw  both  arms  outward, 
and  turned  over  on  his  back  mumbling  as 
though  in  the  throes  of  a  bad  dream.  A  mo 
ment  later  he  resumed  the  regular  breathing. 

100 


THE  THEFT  OF  THE  JEWELS 

Now  he  could  not  watch.  Tarzan,  but  he  was 
sure  that  the  man  sat  for  a  long  time  looking 
at  him.  Then,  faintly,  Werper  heard  the  oth 
er's  hands  scraping  dirt,  and  later  patting  it 
down.  He  knew  then  that  the  jewels  were 
buried. 

It  was  an  hour  before  Werper  moved  again, 
then  he  rolled  over  facing  Tarzan  atod  opened 
his  eyes.  The  ape-man  slept.  By  reaching  out 
his  hand  Werper  could  touch  the  spot  where  the 
pouch  was  buried. 

For  a  long  time  he  lay  watching  and  listen 
ing.  He  moved  about,  making  more  noise  than 
necessary,  yet  Tarzan  did  not  awaken.  He  drew 
the  sacrificial  knife  from  his  belt,  and  plunged 
it  into  the  ground.  Tarzan  did  not  move.  Cau 
tiously  the  Belgian  pushed  the  blade  downward 
through  the  loose  earth  above  the  pouch.  He 
felt  the  point  touch  the  soft,  tough  fabric  of 
the  leather.  Then  he  pried  down  upon  the  han 
dle.  Slowly  the  little  mound  of  loose  earth  rose 
and  parted.  An  instant  later  a  corner  of  the 
pouch  came  into  view.  Werper  pulled  it  from 
its  hiding  place,  and  tucked  it  in  his  shirt.  Then 
he  refilled  the  hole  and  pressed  the  dirt  care 
fully  down  as  it  had  been  before. 

101 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

Greed  had  prompted  him  to  an  act,  the  dis 
covery  of  which  by  his  companion  could  lead 
only  to  the  most  frightful  consequences  for 
Werper.  Already  he  could  almost  feel  those 
strong,  white  fangs  burying  themselves  in  his 
neck.  He  shuddered.  Far  out  across  the  plain 
a  leopard  screamed,  and  in  the  dense  reeds  be 
hind  him  some  great  beast  moved  on  padded 
feet. 

Werper  feared  these  prowlers  of  the  night; 
but  infinitely  more  he  feared  the  just  wrath  of 
the  human  beast  sleeping  at  his  side.  With  ut 
most  caution  the  Belgian  arose.  Tarzan  did  not 
move.  Werper  took  a  few  steps  toward  the 
plain  and  the  distant  forest  to  the  northwest, 
then  he  paused  and  fingered  the  hilt  of  the  long 
knife  in  his  belt.  He  turned  and  looked  down 
upon  the  sleeper. 

"  Why  notr '  he  mused.  "  Then  I  should  be 
safe." 

He  returned  and  bent  abo^e  the  ape-man. 
Clutched  tightly  in  his  hand  was  the  sacrificial 
knife  of  the  High  Priestess  of  the  Flaming  God ! 


102 


Clutched  tightly  in  his  hand  was  the  sacrificial  knife 


CHAPTER  X 

ACHMET  ZEK  SEES  THE  JEWELS 

MUGAMBI,  weak  and  suffering,  had 
dragged  his  painful  way  along  the  trail 
of  the  retreating  raiders.  He  could  move  hut 
slowly,  resting  often;  but  savage  hatred  and 
an  equally  savage  desire  for  vengeance  kept 
him  to  his  task.  As  the  days  passed  his  wounds 
healed  and  his  strength  returned,  until  at  last 
his  giant  frame  had  regained  all  of  its  former 
mighty  powers.  Now  he  went  more  rapidly; 
but  the  mounted  Arabs  had  covered  a  great  dis 
tance  while  the  wounded  black  had  been  pain 
fully  crawling  after  them. 

They  had  reached  their  fortified  camp,  and 
there  Achmet  Zek  awaited  the  return  of  his 
lieutenant,  Albert  Werper.  During  the  long, 
rough  journey,  Jane  Clayton  had  suffered  more 
in  anticipation  of  her  impending  fate  than  from 
the  hardships  of  the  road. 

Achmet  Zek  had  not  deigned  to  acquaint  her 
with  his  intentions  regarding  her  future.  She 

103 


TABZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

prayed  that  she  had  been  captured  in  the  hope 
of  ransom,  for  if  such  should  prove  the  case, 
no  great  harm  would  befall  her  at  the  hands  of 
the  Arabs ;  but  there  was  the  chance,  the  horrid 
chance,  that  another  fate  awaited  her.  She  had 
heard  of  many  women,  among  whom  were  white 
women,  who  had  been  sold  by  outlaws  such  as 
Achmet  Zek  into  the  slavery  of  black  harems, 
or  taken  farther  north  into  the  almost  equally 
hideous  existence  of  some  Turkish  seraglio. 

Jane  Clayton  was  of  sterner  stuff  than  that 
which  bends  in  spineless  terror  before  danger. 
Until  hope  proved  futile  she  would  not  give  it 
up;  nor  did  she  entertain  thoughts  of  self-de 
struction  only  as  a  final  escape  from  dishonor. 
So  long  as  Tarzan  lived  there  was  every  reason 
to  expect  succor.  No  man  nor  beast  who 
roamed  the  savage  continent  could  boast  the 
cunning  and  the  powers  of  her  lord  and  master. 
To  her,  he  was  little  short  of  omnipotent  in  his 
native  world — this  world  of  savage  beasts  and 
savage  men.  Tarzan  would  come,  and  she 
should  be  rescued  and  avenged,  of  that  she  was 
certain.  She  counted  the  days  that  must  elapse 
before  he  would  return  from  Opar  and  dis 
cover  what  had  transpired  during  his  absence. 

104 


ACHMET  ZEK  SEES  THE  JEWELS 

After  that  it  would  be  but  a  short  time  before 
he  had  surrounded  the  Arab  stronghold  and 
punished  the  motley  crew  of  wrongdoers  who 
inhabited  it. 

That  he  could  find  her  she  had  no  slightest 
doubt.  No  spoor,  however  faint,  could  elude 
the  keen  vigilance  of  his  senses.  To  him,  the 
trail  of  the  raiders  would  be  as  plain  as  the 
printed  page  of  an  open  book  to  her. 

And  while  she  hoped,  there  came  through  the 
dark  jungle  another.  Terrified  by  night  and 
by  day,  came  Albert  Werper.  A  dozen  times 
he  had  escaped  the  claws  and  fangs  of  the  giant 
carnivora  only  by  what  seemed  a  miracle  to 
him.  Armed  with  nothing  more  than  the  knife 
he  had  brought  with  him  from  Opar,  he  had 
made  his  way  through  as  savage  a  country  as 
yet  exists  upon  the  face  of  the  globe. 

By  night  he  had  slept  in  trees.  By  day  he 
had  stumbled  fearfully  on,  often  taking  refuge 
among  the  branches  when  sight  or  sound  of 
some  great  cat  warned  him  from  danger.  But 
at  last  he  had  come  within  sight  of  the  palisade 
behind  which  were  his  fierce  companions. 

At  almost  the  same  time  Mugambi  came  out 
of  the  jungle  before  the  walled  village.  As  he 

105 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

stood  in  the  shadow  of  a  great  tree,  reconnoiter- 
ing,  he  saw  a  man,  ragged  and  disheveled 
emerge  from  the  jungle  almost  at  his  elbow. 
Instantly  he  recognized  the  newcomer  as  he 
who  had  been  a  guest  of  his  master  before  the 
latter  had  departed  for  Opar. 

The  black  was  upon  the  point  of  hailing  the 
Belgian  when  something  stayed  him.  He  saw 
the  white  man  walking  confidently  across  the 
clearing  toward  the  village  gate.  No  sane  man 
thus  approached  a  village  in  this  part  of  Africa 
unless  he  was  sure  of  a  friendly  welcome. 
Mugambi  waited.  His  suspicions  were  aroused. 

He  heard  Werper  halloo;  he  saw  the  gates 
swing  open,  and  he  witnessed  the  surprised  and 
friendly  welcome  that  was  accorded  the  erst 
while  guest  of  Lord  and  Lady  Greystoke.  A 
light  broke  upon  the  understanding  of  Mu 
gambi.  This  white  man  had  been  a  traitor 
and  a  spy.  It  was  to  him  they  owed  the  raid 
during  the  absence  of  the  Great  Bwana.  To 
his  hate  for  the  Arabs,  Mugambi  added  a  still 
greater  hate  for  the  white  spy. 

Within  the  village  Werper  passed  hurriedly 
toward  the  silken  tent  of  Achmet  Zek.  The 
Arab  arose  as  his  lieutenant  entered.  His  face 

106 


ACHMET  ZEK  SEES  THE  JEWELS 

showed  surprise  as  lie  viewed  the  tattered 
apparel  of  the  Belgian. 

"  What  has  happened?  "  he  asked. 

Werper  narrated  all,  save  the  little  matter 
of  the  pouch  of  gems  which  were  now  tightly 
strapped  about  his  waist,  beneath  his  clothing. 
The  Arab's  eyes  narrowed  greedily  as  his 
henchman  discribed  the  treasure  that  the 
Waziri  had  buried  beside  the  ruins  of  the 
Greystoke  bungalow. 

"It  will  be  a  simple  matter  now  to  return 
and  get  it,"  said  Achmet  Zek.  "  First  we  will 
await  the  coming  of  the  rash  Waziri,  and  after 
we  have  slain  them  we  may  take  our  time  to 
the  treasure — none  will  disturb  it  where  it 
lies,  for  we  shall  leave  none  alive  who  knows 
of  its  existence." 

"  And  the  woman?  "  asked  Werper. 

"  I  shall  sell  her  in  the  north,"  replied  the 
raider.  "  It  is  the  only  way,  now.  She  should 
bring  a  good  price." 

The  Belgian  nodded.  He  was  thinking  rap 
idly.  If  he  could  persuade  Achmet  Zek  to  send 
him  in  command  of  the  party  which  took  Lady 
Greystoke  north  it  would  give  him  the  oppor 
tunity  he  craved  to  make  his  escape  from  his 

107 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

chief.  He  would  forego  a  share  of  the  gold,  if 
he  could  but  get  away  unscathed  with  the 
jewels. 

He  knew  Achmet  Zek  well  enough  by  this 
time  to  know  that  no  member  of  his  band  ever 
was  voluntarily  released  from  the  service  of 
Achmet  Zek.  Most  of  the  few  who  deserted 
were  recaptured.  More  than  once  had  Wer- 
per  listened  to  their  agonized  scrfeams  as  they 
were  tortured  before  being  put  to  death.  The 
Belgian  had  no  wish  to  take  the  slightest  chance 
of  recapture. 

"Who  will  go  north  with  the  woman,"  he 
asked,  "while  we  are  returning  for  the  gold 
that  the  Waziri  buried  by  the  bungalow  of  the 
Englishman?  " 

Achmet  Zek  thought  for  a  moment.  The 
buried  gold  was  of  much  greater  value  than  the 
price  the  woman  would  bring.  It  was  neces 
sary  to  rid  himself  of  her  as  quickly  as  pos 
sible  and  it  was  also  well  to  obtain  the  gold 
with  the  least  possible  delay.  Of  all  his  fol 
lowers,  the  Belgian  was  the  most  logical  lieu 
tenant  to  intrust  with  the  command  of  one  of 
the  parties.  An  Arab,  as  familiar  with  the 
trails  and  tribes  as  Achmet  Zek  himself,  might 

108 


ACHMET  ZEK  SEES  THE  JEWELS 

collect  the  woman's  price  and  make  good  his 
escape  into  the  far  north.  Werper,  on  the 
other  hand,  could  scarce  make  his  escape  alone 
through  a  country  hostile  to  Europeans  while 
the  men  he  would  send  with  the  Belgian  could 
be  carefully  selected  with  a  view  to  prevent 
ing  Werper  from  persuading  any  considerable 
portion  of  his  command  to  accompany  him 
should  he  contemplate  desertion  of  his  chief. 

At  last  the  Arab  spoke:  "It  is  not  neces 
sary  that  we  both  return  for  the  gold.  You 
shall  go  north  with  the  woman,  carrying  a  let 
ter  to  a  friend  of  mine  who  is  always  in  touch 
with  the  best  markets  for  such  merchandise, 
while  I  return  for  the  gold.  We  can  meet  again 
here  when  our  business  is  concluded.'' 

Werper  could  scarce  disguise  the  joy  with 
which  he  received  this  welcome  decision.  And 
that  he  did  entirely  disguise  it  from  the  keen 
and  suspicious  eyes  of  Achmet  Zek  is  open  to 
question.  However,  the  decision  reached,  the 
Arab  and  his  lieutenant  discussed  the  details  of 
their  forthcoming  ventures  for  a  short  time 
further,  when  Werper  made  his  excuses  and 
returned  to  his  own  tent  for  the  comforts  and 
luxury  of  a  long-desired  bath  and  shave. 

109 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

Having  bathed,  the  Belgian  tied  a  small  hand 
mirror  to  a  cord  sewn  to  the  rear  wall  of  his 
tent,  placed  a  rude  chair  beside  an  equally  rude 
table  that  stood  beside  the  glass,  and  proceeded 
to  remove  the  rough  stubble  from  his  face. 

In  the  catalog  of  masculine  pleasures  there 
is  scarce  one  which  imparts  a  feeling  of  greater 
comfort  and  refreshment  than  follows  a  clean 
shave,  and  now,  with  weariness  temporarily 
banished,  Albert  Werper  sprawled  in  his  rick 
ety  chair  to  enjoy  a  final  cigaret  before  retir 
ing.  His  thumbs,  tucked  in  his  belt  in  lazy 
support  of  the  weight  of  his  arms,  touched  the 
belt  which  held  the  jewel  pouch  about  his  waist. 
He  tingled  with  excitement  as  he  let  his  mind 
dwell  upon  the  value  of  the  treasure,  which, 
unknown  to  all  save  himself,  lay  hid  beneath 
his  clothing. 

What  would  Achmet  Zek  say,  if  he  knew? 
Werper  grinned.  How  the  old  rascal's  eyes 
would  pop  could  he  but  have  a  glimpse  of  those 
scintillating  beauties!  Werper  had  never  yet 
had  an  opportunity  to  feast  his  eyes  for  any 
great  length  of  time  upon  them.  He  had  not 
even  counted  them — only  roughly  had  he 
guessed  at  their  value. 

110 


ACHMET  ZEK  SEES  THE  JEWELS 

He  unfastened  the  belt  and  drew  the  pouch 
from  its  hiding  place.  He  was  alone.  The 
balance  of  the  camp,  save  the  sentries,  had 
retired — none  would  enter  the  Belgian's  tent. 
He  fingered  the  pouch,  feeling  out  the  shapes 
and  sizes  of  the  precious,  little  nodules  within. 
He  hefted  the  bag,  first  in  one  palm,  then  in 
the  other,  and  at  last  he  wheeled  his  chair 
slowly  around  before  the  table,  and  in  the  rays 
of  his  small  lamp  let  the  glittering  gems  roll 
out  upon  the  rough  wood. 

The  refulgent  rays  transformed  the  interior 
of  the  soiled  and  squalid  canvas  to  the  splen 
dor  of  a  palace  in  the  eyes  of  the  dreaming 
man.  He  saw  the  gilded  halls  of  pleasure  that 
would  open  their  portals  to  the  possessor  of 
the  wealth  which  lay  scattered  upon  this  stained 
and  dented  table  top.  He  dreamed  of  joys 
and  luxuries  and  power  which  always  had  been 
beyond  his  grasp,  and  as  he  dreamed  his  gaze 
lifted  from  the  table,  as  the  gaze  of  a  dreamer 
will,  to  a  far  distant  goal  above  the  mean  hori 
zon  of  terrestrial  commonplaceness. 

Unseeing,  his  eyes  rested  upon  the  shaving 
mirror  which  still  hung  upon  the  tent  wall 
above  the  table;  but  his  sight  was  focused  far 

111 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

beyond.  And  then  a  reflection  moved  within 
the  polished  surface  of  the  tiny  glass,  the  man's 
eyes  shot  back  out  of  space  to  the  mirror's 
face,  and  in  it  he  saw  reflected  the  grim  vis 
age  of  Achmet  Zek,  framed  in  the  flaps  of  the 
tent  doorway  behind  him. 

Werper  stifled  a  gasp  of  dismay.  With  rare 
self-possession  he  let  his  gaze  drop,  without 
appearing  to  have  halted  upon  the  mirror,  until 
it  rested  again  upon  the  gems.  Without  haste, 
he  replaced  them  in  the  pouch,  tucked  the  lat 
ter  into  his  shirt,  selected  a  cigaret  from  his 
case,  lighted  it  and  rose.  Yawning,  and  stretch 
ing  his  arms  above  his  head,  he  turned  slowly 
toward  the  opposite  end  of  the  tent.  The  face 
of  Achmet  Zek  had  disappeared  from  the  open 
ing. 

To  say  that  Albert  Werper  was  terrified 
would  be  putting  it  mildly.  He  realized  that 
he  not  only  had  sacrificed  his  treasure ;  but  his 
life  as  well.  Achmet  Zek  would  never  permit 
the  wealth  that  he  had  discovered  to  slip 
through  his  fingers,  nor  would  he  forgive  the 
duplicity  of  a  lieutenant  who  had  gained  pos 
session  of  such  a  treasure  without  offering  to 
share  it  with  his  chief. 

112 


ACHMET  ZEK  SEES  THE  JEWELS 

Slowly  the  Belgian  prepared  for  bed.  If 
he  were  being  watched,  he  could  not  know;  but 
if  so  the  watcher  saw  no  indication  of  the 
nervous  excitement  which  the  European  strove 
to  conceal.  When  ready  for  his  blankets,  the 
man  crossed  to  the  little  table  and  extinguished 
the  light. 

It  was  two  hours  later  that  the  flaps  at  the 
front  of  the  tent  separated  silently  and  gave 
entrance  to  a  dark-robed  figure,  which  passed 
noiselessly  from  the  darkness  without  to  the 
darkness  within.  Cautiously  the  prowler 
crossed  the  interior.  In  one  hand  was  a  long 
knife.  He  came  at  last  to  the  pile  of  blankets 
spread  upon  several  rugs  close  to  one  of  the 
tent  walls. 

Lightly,  his  fingers  sought  and  found  the 
bulk  beneath  the  blankets — the  bulk  that 
should  be  Albert  Werper.  They  traced  out  the 
figure  of  a  man,  and  then  an  arm  shot  up 
ward,  poised  for  an  instant  and  descended. 
Again  and  again  it  rose  and  fell,  and  each 
time  the  long  blade  of  the  knife  buried  itself 
in  the  thing  beneath  the  blankets.  But  there 
was  an  initial  lifelessness  in  the  silent  bulk 
that  gave  the  assassin  momentary  wonder, 

113 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAE 

Feverishly  lie  threw  back  the  coverlets,  and 
searched  with  nervous  hands  for  the  pouch  of 
jewels  which  he  expected  to  find  concealed  upon 
his  victim's  body. 

An  instant  later  he  rose  with  a  curse  upon 
his  lips.  It  was  Achmet  Zek,  and  he  cursed 
because  he  had  discovered  beneath  the  blankets 
of  his  lieutenant  only  a  pile  of  discarded  cloth 
ing  arranged  in  the  form  and  semblance  of  a 
sleeping  man — Albert  Werper  had  fled. 

Out  into  the  village  ran  the  chief,  calling 
in  angry  tones  to  the  sleepy  Arabs,  who 
tumbled  from  their  tents  in  answer  to  his  voice. 
But  though  they  searched  the  village  again 
and  again  they  found  no  trace  of  the  Belgian. 
Foaming  with  anger,  Achmet  Zek  called  his 
followers  to  horse,  and  though  the  night  was 
pitchy  black  they  set  out  to  scour  the  adjoin 
ing  forest  for  their  quarry. 

As  they  galloped  from  the  open  gates, 
Mugambi,  hiding  in  a  nearby  bush,  slipped, 
unseen,  within  the  palisade.  A  score  of  blacks 
crowded  about  the  entrance  to  watch  the 
searchers  depart,  and  as  the  last  of  them  passed 
out  of  the  village  the  blacks  seized  the  por 
tals  and  drew  them  to,  and  Mugambi  lent  a 


ACHMET  ZEK  SEES  THE  JEWELS 

hand  in  the  work  as  though  the  best  of  his  life 
had  been  spent  among  the  raiders. 

In  the  darkness  he  passed,  unchallenged,  as 
one  of  their  number,  and  as  they  returned  from 
the  gates  to  their  respective  tents  and  huts, 
Mugambi  melted  into  the  shadows  and  dis 
appeared. 

For  an  hour  he  crept  about  in  the  rear  of  the 
various  huts  and  tents  in  an  effort  to  locate 
that  in  which  his  master's  mate  was  impris 
oned.  One  there  was  which  he  was  reasonably 
assured  contained  her,  for  it  was  the  only  hut 
before  the  door  of  which  a  sentry  had  been 
posted.  Mugambi  was  crouching  in  the  shadow 
of  this  structure,  just  around  the  corner  from 
the  unsuspecting  guard,  when  another  ap 
proached  to  relieve  his  comrade. 

"  The  prisoner  is  safe  within?  "  asked  the 
newcomer. 

"  She  is,"  replied  the  other,  "  for  none  has 
passed  this  doorway  since  I  came. ' ' 

The  new  sentry  squatted  beside  the  door, 
while  he  whom  he  had  relieved  made  his  way 
to  his  own  hut.  Mugambi  slunk  closer  to  the 
corner  of  the  building.  In  one  powerful  hand 
he  gripped  a  heavy  knob-stick.  No  sign  of 

115 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

elation  disturbed  his  phlegmatic  calm,  yet  in 
wardly  lie  was  aroused  to  joy  by  the  proof  he 
had  just  had  that  "  Lady  "  really  was  within. 

The  sentry 's  back  was  toward  the  corner 
of  the  hut  which  hid  the  giant  black.  The  fel 
low  did  not  see  the  huge  form  which  silently 
loomed  behind  him.  The  knob-stick  swung  up 
ward  in  a  curve,  and  downward  again.  There 
was  the  sound  of  a  dull  thud,  the  crushing  of 
heavy  bone,  and  the  sentry  slumped  into  a 
silent,  inanimate  lump  of  clay. 

A  moment  later  Mugambi  was  searching  the 
interior  of  the  hut.  At  first  slowly,  calling, 
"Lady!"  in  a  low  whisper,  and  finally  with 
almost  frantic  haste,  until  the  truth  presently 
dawned  upon  him — the  hut  was  empty! 


116 


CHAPTEE  XI 

TARZAN  BECOMES  A  BEAST  AGAIN 

a  moment  Werper  had  stood  above  the 
sleeping  ape-man,  his  murderous  knife 
poised  for  the  fatal  thrust ;  but  fear  stayed  his 
hand.  What  if  the  first  blow  should  fail  to 
drive  the  point  to  his  victim's  heart?  Werper 
shuddered  in  contemplation  of  the  disastrous 
consequences  to  himself.  Awakened,  and  even 
with  a  few  moments  of  life  remaining,  the  giant 
could  literally  tear  his  assailant  to  pieces  should 
he  choose,  and  the  Belgian  had  no  doubt  but 
that  Tarzan  would  so  choose. 

Again  came  the  soft  sound  of  padded  foot 
steps  in  the  reeds — closer  this  time.  Werper 
abandoned  his  design.  Before  him  stretched 
the  wide  plain  and  escape.  The  jewels  were 
in  his  possession.  To  remain  longer  was  to 
risk  death  at  the  hands  of  Tarzan,  or  the  jaws 
of  the  hunter  creeping  ever  nearer.  Turning, 
he  slunk  away  through  the  night,  toward  the 
distant  forest. 

117 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

Tarzan  slept  on.  Where  were  those  uncanny, 
guardian  powers  that  had  formerly  rendered 
him  immune  from  the  dangers  of  surprise? 
Could  this  dull  sleeper  be  the  alert,  sensitive 
Tarzan  of  old? 

Perhaps  the  blow  upon  his  head  had  numbed 
his  senses,  temporarily — who  may  say?  Closer 
crept  the  stealthy  creature  through  the  reeds. 
The  rustling  curtain  of  vegetation  parted  a 
few  paces  from  where  the  sleeper  lay,  and  the 
massive  head  of  a  lion  appeared.  The  beast 
surveyed  the  ape-man  intently  for  a  moment, 
then  he  crouched,  his  hind  feet  drawn  well 
beneath  him,  his  tail  lashing  from  side  to  side. 

It  was  the  beating  of  the  beast's  tail  against 
the  reeds  which  awakened  Tarzan.  Jungle  folk 
do  not  awaken  slowly — instantly,  full  con 
sciousness  and  full  command  of  their  every  fac 
ulty  returns  to  them  from  the  depth  of  profound 
slumber. 

Even  as  Tarzan  opened  his  eyes  he  was  upon 
his  feet,  his  spear  grasped  firmly  in  his  hand 
and  ready  for  attack.  Again  was  he  Tarzan 
of  the  Apes,  sentient,  vigilant,  ready. 

No  two  lions  have  identical  characteristics, 
nor  does  the  same  lion  invariably  act  similarly 

118 


TABZAN  BECOMES  A  BEAST  AGAIN 

under  like  circumstances.  Whether  it  was  sur 
prise,  fear  or  caution  which  prompted  the  lion 
crouching  ready  to  spring  upon  the  man,  is 
immaterial — the  fact  remains  that  he  did  not 
carry  out  his  original  design,  he  did  not  spring 
at  the  man  at  all,  but,  instead,  wheeled  and 
sprang  back  into  the  reeds  as  Tarzan  arose 
and  confronted  him. 

The  ape-man  shrugged  his  broad  shoulders 
and  looked  about  for  his*  companion.  Werper 
was  nowhere  to  be  seen.  At  first  Tarzan  sus 
pected  that  the  man  had  been  seized  and  dragged 
off  by  another  lion;  but  upon  examination  of 
the  ground  he  soon  discovered  that  the  Belgian 
had  gone  away  alone  out  into  the  plain. 

For  a  moment  he  was  puzzled ;  but  presently 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  Werper  had  been 
frightened  by  the  approach  of  the  lion,  and  had 
sneaked  off  in  terror.  A  sneer  touched  Tar 
zan 's  lips  as  he  pondered  the  man's  act — the 
desertion  of  a  comrade  in  time  of  danger,  and 
without  warning.  Well,  if  that  was  the  sort  of 
creature  Werper  was,  Tarzan  wished  nothing 
more  of  him.  He  had  gone,  and  for  all  the 
ape-man  cared,  he  might  remain  away  —  Tar 
zan  would  not  search  for  him. 

119 


TAEZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

A  hundred  yards  from  where  he  stood  grew 
a  large  tree,  alone  upon  the  edge  of  the  reedy 
jungle.  Tarzan  made  his  way  to  it,  clambered 
into  it,  and  finding  a  comfortable  crotch  among 
its  branches,  reposed  himself  for  uninterrupted 
sleep  until  morning. 

And  when  morning  came  Tarzan  slept  on 
long  after  the  sun  had  risen.  His  mind,  re 
verted  to  the  primitive,  was  untroubled  by  any 
more  serious  obligations  than  those  of  pro 
viding  sustenance,  and  safeguarding  his  life. 
Therefore  there  was  nothing  to  awaken  for 
until  danger  threatened,  or  the  pangs  of  hun 
ger  assailed.  It  was  the  latter  which  eventually 
aroused  him. 

Opening  his  eyes,  he  stretched  his  giant 
thews,  yawned,  rose  and  gazed  about  him 
through  the  leafy  foliage  of  his  retreat.  Across 
the  wasted  meadowlands  and  fields  of  John 
Clayton,  Lord  Greystoke,  Tarzan  of  the  Apes 
looked,  as  a  stranger,  upon  the  moving  figures 
of  Basuli  and  his  braves  as  they  prepared  their 
morning  meal  and  made  ready  to  set  out  upon 
the  expedition  which  Basuli  had  planned  after 
discovering  the  havoc  and  disaster  which  had 
befallen  the  estate  of  his  dead  master. 

120 


TABZAN  BECOMES  A  BEAST  AGAIN 

The  ape-man  eyed  the  blacks  with  curiosity. 
In  the  back  of  his  brain  loitered  a  fleeting  sense 
of  familiarity  with  all  that  he  saw,  yet  he  could 
not  connect  any  of  the  various  forms  of  life, 
animate  and  inanimate,  which  had  fallen  within 
the  range  of  his  vision  since  he  had  emerged 
from  the  darkness  of  the  pits  of  Opar,  with 
any  particular  event  of  the  past* 

Hazily  he  recalled  a  grim  and  hideous  form, 
hairy,  ferocious.  A  vague  tenderness  domi 
nated  his  savage  sentiments  as  this  phantom 
memory  struggled  for  recognition.  His  mind 
had  reverted  to  his  childhood  days* — it  was 
the  figure  of  the  giant  she-ape,  Kala,  that  he 
saw;  but  only  half,  recognized.  He  saw,  too, 
other  grotesque,  manlike  forms.  They  were  of 
Terkoz,  Tublat,  Kerchak,  and  a  smalkr,  less 
ferocious  figure,  that  was  Neeta,  the  little  play 
mate  of  his  boyhood. 

Slowly,  very  slowly,  as  these  visions  of  the 
past  reanimated  his  lethargic  memory,  he  came 
to  recognize  them.  They  took  definite  shape 
and  form,  adjusting  themselves  nicely  to  the 
various  incidents  of  his  life  with  which  they 
had  been  intimately  connected.  His  boyhood 
among  the  apes  spread  itself  in  a  slow  pan- 

121 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

orama  before  him,  and  as  it  unfolded  it  induced 
within  him  a  mighty  longing  for  the  compan 
ionship  of  the  shaggy,  low-browed  brutes  of  his 
past. 

He  watched  the  blacks  scatter  their  cook 
fire  and  depart;  but  though  the  face  of  each  of 
them  had  but  recently  been  as  familiar  to  him 
as  his  own,  they  awakened  within  him  no  recol 
lections  whatsoever. 

When  they  had  gone,  he  descended  from  the 
tree  and  sought  food.  Out  upon  the  plain 
grazed  numerous  herds  of  wild  ruminants. 
Toward  a  sleek,  fat  bunch  of  zebra  he  wormed 
his  stealthy  way.  No  intricate  process  of  rea 
soning  caused  him  to  circle  widely  until  he 
was  down  wind  from  his  prey — he  acted  in 
stinctively.  He  took  advantage  of  every  form 
of  cover  as  he  crawled  upon  all  fours  and  often 
flat  upon  his  stomach  toward  them. 

A  plump  young  mare  and  a  fat  stallion 
grazed  nearest  to  him  as  he  neared  the  herd. 
Again  it  was  instinct  which  selected  the  former 
for  his  meat.  A  low  bush  grew  but  a  few  yards 
from  the  unsuspecting  two.  The  ape-man 
reached  its  shelter.  He  gathered  his  spear 
firmly  in  his  grasp.  Cautiously  he  drew  his 

122 


TABZAN  BECOMES  A  BEAST  AGAIN 

feet  beneath  him.  In  a  single  swift  move  he 
rose  and  cast  his  heavy  weapon  at  the  mare's 
side.  Nor  did  he  wait  to  note  the  effect  of  his 
assault,  but  leaped  catlike  after  his  spear,  his 
hunting  knife  in  his  hand. 

For  an  instant  the  two  animals  stood  motion 
less.  The  tearing  of  the  cruel  barb  into  her 
side  brought  a  sudden  scream  of  pain  and 
fright  from  the  mare,  and  then  they  both 
wheeled  and  broke  for  safety;  but  Tarzan  of 
the  Apes,  for  a  distance  of  a  few  yards,  could 
equal  the  speed  of  even  these,  and  the  first 
stride  of  the  mare  found  her  overhauled,  with 
a  savage  beast  at  her  shoulder.  She  turned, 
biting  and  kicking  at  her  foe.  Her  mate  hesi 
tated  for  an  instant,  as  though  about  to  rush 
to  her  assistance;  but  a  backward  glance  re 
vealed  to  him  the  flying  heels  of  the  balance 
of  the  herd,  and  with  a  snort  and  a  shake  of 
his  head  he  wheeled  and  dashed  away. 

Clinging  with  one  hand  to  the  short  mane  of 
his  quarry,  Tarzan  struck  again  and  again  with 
his  knife  at  the  unprotected  heart.  The  re 
sult  had,  from  the  first,  been  inevitable.  The 
mare  fought  bravely,  but  hopelessly,  and  pres 
ently  sank  to  the  earth,  her  heart  pierced.  The 

123 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

ape-man  placed  a  foot  upon  her  carcass  and 
raised  his  voice  in  the  victory  call  of  the  Man- 
gani.  In  the  distance,  Basuli  halted  as  the 
faint  notes  of  the  hideous  scream  broke  upon 
his  ears. 

"  The  great  apes>"  he  said  to  his  compan 
ion.  "  It  has  been  long  since  I  have  heard 
them  in  the  country  of  the  Waziri.  What  could 
have  brought  them  back?  " 

Tarzan  grasped  his  kill  and  dragged  it  to 
the  partial  seclusion  of  the  bush  which  had 
hidden  his  own  near  approach,  and  there  he 
squatted  upon  it,  cut  a  huge  hunk  of  flesh  from 
the  loin  and  proceeded  to  satisfy  his  hunger 
with  the  warm  and  dripping  meat. 

Attracted  by  the  shrill  screams  of  the  mare, 
a  pair  of  hyenas  slunk  presently  into  view. 
They  trotted  to  a  point  a  few  yards  from  the 
gorging  ape-man,  and  halted.  Tarzan  looked 
up,  bared  his  fighting  fangs  and  growled.  The 
hyenas  returned  the  compliment,  and  withdrew 
a  couple  of  paces.  They  made  no  move  to  at 
tack;  but  continued  to  sit  at  a  respectful  dis 
tance  until  Tarzan  had  concluded  his  meal. 
After  the  ape-man  had  cut  a  few  strips  from 
the  carcass  to  carry  with  him,  he  walked  slowly 

124 


TARZAN  BECOMES  A  BEAST  AGAIN 

off  in  the  direction  of  the  river  to  quench  his 
thirst.  His  way  lay  directly  toward  the  hyenas, 
nor  did  he  alter  his  course  because  of  them. 

With  all  the  lordly  majesty  of  Numa,  the 
lion,  he  strode  straight  toward  the  growling 
beasts.  For  a  moment  they  held  their  ground, 
bristling  and  defiant;  but  only  for  a  moment, 
and  then  slunk  away  to  one  side  while  the  in 
different  ape-man  passed  them  on  his  lordly 
way.  A  moment  later  they  were  tearing  at  the 
remains  of  the  zebra. 

Back  to  the  reeds  went  Tarzan,  and  through 
them  toward  the  river.  A  herd  of  buffalo, 
startled  by  his  approach,  rose  ready  to  charge 
or  to  fly.  A  great  bull  pawed  the  ground  and 
bellowed  as  his  bloodshot  eyes  discovered  the 
intruder;  but  the  ape-man  passed  across  their 
front  as  though  ignorant  of  their  existence. 
The  bull's  bellowing  lessened  to  a  low  rum 
bling,  he  turned  and  scraped  a  horde  of  flies 
from  his  side  with  his  muzzle,  cast  a  final  glance 
at  the  ape-man  and  resumed  his  feeding.  His 
numerous  family  either  followed  his  example 
or  stood  gazing  after  Tarzan  in  mild-eyed  curi 
osity,  until  the  opposite  reeds  swallowed  him 
from  view. 

125 


TABZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

At  the  river,  Tarzan  drank  his  fill  and  bathed. 
During  the  heat  of  the  day  he  lay  up  under  the 
shade  of  a  tree  near  the  ruins  of  his  burned 
barns.  His  eyes  wandered  out  across  the  plain 
toward  the  forest,  and  a  longing  for  the  pleas 
ures  of  its  mysterious  depths  possessed  his 
thoughts  for  a  considerable  time.  With  the 
next  sun  he  would  cross  the  open  and  enter  the 
forest!  There  was  no  hurry — there  lay  before 
him  an  endless  vista  of  tomorrows  with  naught 
to  fill  them  but  the  satisfying  of  the  appetites 
and  caprices  of  the  moment. 

The  ape-man's  mind  was  untroubled  by  re 
gret  for  the  past,  or  aspiration  for  the  future. 
He  could  lie  at  full  length  along  a  swaying 
branch,  stretching  his  giant  limbs,  and  luxuriat 
ing  in  the  blessed  peace  of  utter  thoughtless 
ness,  without  an  apprehension  or  a  worry  to 
sap  his  nervous  energy  and  rob  him  of  his 
peace  of  mind.  Eecalling  only  dimly  any  other 
existence,  the  ape-man  was  happy.  Lord  Grey- 
stoke  had  ceased  to  exist. 

For  several  hours  Tarzan  lolled  upon  his 
swaying,  leafy  couch  until  once  again  hunger 
and  thirst  suggested  an  excursion.  Stretch 
ing  lazily  he  dropped  to  the  ground  and  moved 

126 


TAEZAN  BECOMES  A  BEAST  AGAIN 

slowly  toward  the  river.  The  game  trail  down 
which  he  walked  had  become  by  ages  of  use 
a  deep,  narrow  trench,  its  walls  topped  on 
either  side  by  impenetrable  thicket  and  dense- 
growing  trees  closely  interwoven  with  thick- 
stemmed  creepers  and  lesser  vines  inextricably 
matted  into  two  solid  ramparts  of  vegetation. 
Tarzan  had  almost  reached  the  point  where 
the  trail  debouched  npon  the  open  river  bot 
tom  when  he  saw  a  family  of  lions  approach 
ing  along  the  path  from  the  direction  of  the 
river.  The  ape-man  counted  seven — a  male 
and  two  lionesses,  full  grown,  and  four  young 
lions  as  large  and  quite  as  formidable  as  their 
parents.  Tarzan  halted,  growling,  and  the  lions 
paused,  the  great  male  in  the  lead  baring  his 
fangs  and  rumbling  forth  a  warning  roar.  In 
his  hand  the  ape-man  held  his  heavy  spear; 
but  he  had  no  intention  of  pitting  his  puny 
weapon  against  seven  lions ;  yet  he  stood  there 
growling  and  roaring  and  the  lions  did  like 
wise.  It  was  purely  an  exhibition  of  jungle 
bluff.  Each  was  trying  to  frighten  off  the 
other.  Neither  wished  to  turn  back  and  give 
way,  nor  did  either  at  first  desire  to  precipitate 
an  encounter.  The  lions  were  fed  up  suffi- 

127 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

ciently  so  as  not  to  be  goaded  by  pangs  of  hun 
ger  and  as  for  Tarzan  he  seldom  ate  the  meat  of 
the  carnivores ;  but  a  point  of  ethics  was  at  stake 
and  neither  side  wished  to  back  down.  So  they 
stood  there  facing  one  another,  making  all  sorts 
of  hideous  noises  the  while  they  hurled  jungle 
invective  back  and  forth.  How  long  this  blood 
less  duel  would  have  persisted  it  is  difficult  to 
say,  though  eventually  Tarzan  would  have  been 
forced  to  yield  to  superior  numbers. 

There  came,  however,  an  interruption  which 
put  an  end  to  the  deadlock  and  it  came  from 
Tarzan 's  rear.  He  and  the  lions  had  been  mak 
ing  so  much  noise  that  neither  could  hear  any 
thing  above  their  concerted  bedlam,  and  so  it 
was  that  Tarzan  did  not  hear  the  great  bulk 
bearing  down  upon  him  from  behind  until  an 
instant  before  it  was  upon  him,  and  then  he 
turned  to  see  Buto,  the  rhinoceros,  his  little, 
pig  eyes  blazing,  charging  madly  toward  him 
and  already  so  close  that  escape  seemed  im 
possible  ;  yet  so  perfectly  were  mind  and  muscles 
coordinated  in  this  unspoiled,  primitive  man 
that  almost  simultaneously  with  the  sense  per 
ception  of  the  threatened  danger  he  wheeled 
and  hurled  his  spear  at  Buto's  chest.  It  was 

128 


Li!i!^i^:  'i : . :  _n^.  _ __J 

Tarzan  leaped  straight  into  the  air 


TARZAN  BECOMES  A  BEAST  AGAIN 

a  heavy  spear  shod  with  iron,  and  behind  it 
were  the  giant  muscles  of  the  ape-man,  while 
coming  to  meet  it  was  the  enormous  weight  of 
Buto  and  the  momentum  of  his  rapid  rush.  All 
that  happened  in  the  instant  that  Tarzan  turned 
to  meet  the  charge  of  the  irascible  rhinoceros 
might  take  long  to  tell,  and  yet  would  have 
taxed  the  swiftest  lens  to  record.  As  his  spear 
left  his  hand  the  ape-man  was  looking  down 
upon  the  mighty  horn  lowered  to  toss  him,  so 
close  was  Buto  to  him.  The  spear  entered  the 
rhinoceros'  neck  at  its  junction  with  the  left 
shoulder  and  passed  almost  entirely  through 
the  beast's  body,  and  at  the  instant  that  he 
launched  it,  Tarzan  leaped  straight  into  the 
air  alighting  upon  Buto's  back  but  escaping  the 
mighty  horn. 

Then  Buto  espied  the  lions  and  bore  madly 
down  upon  them  while  Tarzan  of  the  Apes 
leaped  nimbly  into  the  tangled  creepers  at  one 
side  of  the  trail.  The  first  lion  met  Buto's 
charge  and  was  tossed  high  over  the  back  of 
the  maddened  brute,  torn  and  dying,  and  then 
the  six  remaining  lions  were  upon  the  rhinoc 
eros,  rending  and  tearing  the  while  they  were 
being  gored  or  trampled.  From  the  safety 

129 


TAB2JAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

of  his  perch  Tarzan  watched  the  battle  royal 
with  the  keenest  interest,  for  the  more  intelli 
gent  of  the  jungle  folk  are  interested  in  such 
encounters.  They  are  to  them  what  the  race 
track  and  the  prize  ring,  the  theater  and  the 
movies  are  to  us.  They  see  them  often;  but 
always  they  enjoy  them  for  no  two  are  pre 
cisely  alike. 

For  a  time  it  seemed  to  Tarzan  that  Buto, 
the  rhinoceros,  would  prove  victor  in  the  gory 
battle.  Already  had  he  accounted  for  four 
of  the  seven  lions  and  badly  wounded  the  three 
remaining  when  in  a  momentary  lull  in  the 
encounter  he  sank  limply  to  his  knees  and  rolled 
over  upon  his  side.  Tarzan  ?s  spear  had  done 
its  wor*k.  It  was  the  man-made  weapon  which 
killed  the  great  beast  that  might  easily  have 
survived  the  assault  of  seven  mighty  lions,  for 
Tarzan 's  spear  had  pierced  the  great  lungs, 
and  Buto,  with  victory  almost  in  sight,  suc 
cumbed  to  internal  hemorrhage. 

Then  Tarzan  came  down  from  his  sanctuary 
and  as  the  wounded  lions,  growling,  dragged 
themselves  away,  the  ape-man  cut  his  spear 
from  the  body  of  Buto,  hacked  off  a  steak  and 
vanished  into  the  jungle.  The  episode  was 

130 


TARZAN  BECOMES  A  BEAST  AGAIN 

over.  It  had  been  all  in  the  day's  work — some 
thing  which  you  and  I  might  talk  about  for  a 
lifetime  Tarzan  dismissed  from  his  mind  the 
moment  that  the  scene  passed  from  his  sight. 


131 


s 


CHAPTER  XH 

LA  SEEKS  VENGEANCE 

WINGING  back  through  the  jungle  in  a 
wide  circle  the  ape-man  came  to  the  river  at 
another  point,  drank  and  took  to  the  trees  again 
and  while  he  hunted,  all  oblivious  of  his  past 
and  careless  of  his  future,  there  came  through 
the  dark  jungles  and  the  open,  parklike  places 
and  across  the  wide  meadows,  where  grazed  the 
countless  herbivora  of  the  mysterious  conti 
nent,  a  weird  and  terrible  caravan  in  search  of 
him.  There  were  fifty  frightful  men  with  hairy 
bodies  and  gnarled  and  crooked  legs.  They 
were  armed  with  knives  and  great  bludgeons 
and  at  their  head  marched  an  almost  naked 
woman,  beautiful  beyond  compare.  It  was  La 
of  Opar,  High  Priestess  of  the  Flaming  God, 
and  fifty  of  her  horrid  priests  searching  for 
the  purloiner  of  the  sacred  sacrificial  knife. 

Never  before  had  La  passed  beyond  the 
crumbling  outer  walls  of  Opar;  but  never  be 
fore  had  need  been  so  insistent.  The  sacred 

132 


LA  SEEKS  VENGEANCE 


knife  was  gone !  Handed  down  through  count 
less  ages  it  had  come  to  her  as  a  heritage  and 
an  insignia  of  her  religious  office  and  regal 
authority  from  some  long-dead  progenitor  of 
lost  and  forgotten  Atlantis.  The  loss  of  the 
crown  jewels  or  the  Great  Seal  of  England 
could  have  brought  no  greater  consternation 
to  a  British  king  than  did  the  pilfering  of  the 
sacred  knife  bring  to  La,  the  Oparian,  Queen 
and  High  Priestess  of  the  degraded  remnants 
of  the  oldest  civilization  upon  earth.  When 
Atlantis,  with  all  her  mighty  cities  and  her 
cultivated  fields  and  her  great  commerce  and 
culture  and  riches  sank  into  the  sea  long  ages 
since,  she  took  with  her  all  but  a  handful  of  her 
colonists  working  the  vast  gold  mines  of  Cen 
tral  Africa.  From  these  and  their  degraded 
slaves  and  a  later  intermixture  of  the  blood 
of  the  anthropoids  sprung  the  gnarled  men  of 
Opar;  but  by  some  queer  freak  of  fate,  aided 
by  natural  selection,  the  old  Atlantean  strain 
had  remained  pure  and  undegraded  in  the  fe 
males  descended  from  a  single  princess  of  the 
royal  house  of  Atlantis  who  had  been  in  Opar 
at  the  time  of  the  great  catastrophe.  Such  was 
La. 

133 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

/ 
Burning  with  white-hot  anger  was  the  High 

Priestess,  her  heart  a  seething,  molten  mass 
of  hatred  for  Tarzan  of  the  Apes.  The  zeal 
of  the  religious  fanatic  whose  altar  has  been 
desecrated  was  triply  enhanced  by  the  rage  of 
a  woman  scorned.  Twice  had  she  thrown  her 
heart  at  the  feet  of  the  godlike  ape-man  and 
twice  had  she  been  repulsed.  La  knew  that  she 
was  beautiful — and  she  was  beautiful,  not  by 
the  standards  of  prehistoric  Atlantis  alone,  but 
by  those  of  modern  times  was  La  physically 
a  creature  of  perfection.  Before  Tarzan  came 
that  first  time  to  Opar,  La  had  never  seen  a 
human  male  other  than  the  grotesque  and 
knotted  men  of  her  clan.  With  one  of  these 
she  must  mate  sooner  or  later  that  the  direct 
line  of  high  priestesses  might  not  be  broken, 
unless  Fate  should  bring  other  men  to  Opar. 
Before  Tarzan  came  upon  his  first  visit,  La  had 
had  no  thought  that  such  men  as  he  existed, 
for  she  knew  only  her  hideous  little  priests  and 
the  bulls  of  the  tribe  of  great  anthropoids  that 
had  dwelt  from  time  immemorial  in  and  about 
Opar,  until  they  had  come  to  be  looked  upon 
almost  as  equals  by  the  Oparians.  Among  the 
legends  of  Opar  were  tales  of  godlike  men  of  the 

134 


LA  SEEKS  VENGEANCE 


olden  time  and  of  black  men  who  had  come 
more  recently;  but  these  latter  had  been  ene 
mies  who  killed  and  robbed.  And,  too,  these 
legends  always  held  forth  the  hope  that  some 
day  that  nameless  continent  from  which  their 
race  had  sprung,  would  rise  once  more  out  of 
the  sea  and  with  slaves  at  the  long  sweeps 
would  send  her  carven,  gold-picked  galleys  forth 
to  succor  the  long-exiled  colonists. 

The  coming  of  Tarzan  had  aroused  within 
La's  breast  the  wild  hope  that  at  last  the  ful 
fillment  of  this  ancient  prophecy  was  at  hand ; 
but  more  strongly  still  hkd  it  aroused  the  hot 
fires  of  love  in  a  heart  that  never  otherwise 
would  have  known  the  meaning  of  that  all-con 
suming  passion,  for  such  a  wondrous  creature 
as  La  could  never  have  felt  love  for  any  of  the 
repulsive  priests  of  Opar.  Custom,  duty  and 
religious  zeal  might  have  commanded  the  un 
ion;  but  there  could  have  been  no  love  on  La's 
part.  She  had  grown  to  young  womanhood 
a  cold  and  heartless  creature,  daughter  of  a 
thousand  other  cold,  heartless,  beautiful  women 
who  had  never  known  love.  And  so  when  love 
came  to  her  it  liberated  all  the  pent  passions 
of  a  thousand  generations,  transforming  La 

135 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

into  a  pulsing,  throbbing  volcano  of  desire,  and 
with  desire  thwarted  this  great  force  of  love 
and  gentleness  and  sacrifice  was  transmuted 
by  its  own  fires  into  one  of  hatred  and  revenge. 

It  was  in  a  state  of  mind  superinduced  by 
these  conditions  that  La  led  forth  her  jabber 
ing  company  to  retrieve  the  sacred  emblem  of 
her  high  office  and  wreak  vengeance  upon  the 
author  of  her  wrongs.  To  Werper  she  gave 
little  thought.  The  fact  that  the  knife  had  been 
in  his  hand  when  it  departed  from  Opar  brought 
down  no  thoughts  of  vengeance  upon  his  head. 
Of  course,  he  should  be  slain  when  captured; 
but  his  death  would  give  La  no  pleasure — she 
looked  for  that  in  the  contemplated  death  ago 
nies  of  Tarzan.  He  should  be  tortured.  His 
should  be  a  slow  and  frightful  death.  His 
punishment  should  be  adequate  to  the  immen 
sity  of  his  crime.  He  had  wrested  the  sacred 
knife  from  La;  he  had  lain  sacrilegious  hands 
upon  the  High  Priestess  of  the  Flaming  God; 
he  had  desecrated  the  altar  and  the  temple. 
For  these  things  he  should  die;  but  he  had 
scorned  the  love  of  La,  the  woman,  and  for  this 
he  should  die  horribly  with  great  anguish. 

The  march  of  La  and  her  priests  was  not 
136 


LA  SEEKS  VENGEANCE 


without  its  adventures.  Unused  were  these  to 
the  ways  of  the  jungle,  since  seldom  did  any 
venture  forth  from  behind  Opar's  crumbling 
walls,  yet  their  very  numbers  protected  them 
and  so  they  came  without  fatalities  far  along 
the  trail  of  Tarzan  and  Werper.  Three  great 
apes  accompanied  them  and  to  these  was  dele 
gated  the  business  of  tracking  the  quarry,  a 
feat  beyond  the  senses  of  the  Oparians.  La 
commanded.  She  arranged  the  order  of  march, 
she  selected  the  camps,  she  set  the  hour  for 
halting  and  the  hour  for  resuming  and  though 
she  was  inexperienced  in  such  matters,  her  na 
tive  intelligence  was  so  far  above  that  of  the 
men  or  the  apes  that  she  did  better  than  they 
could  have  done.  She  was  a  hard  taskmaster, 
too,  for  she  looked  down  with  loathing  and 
contempt  upon  the  misshapen  creatures 
amongst  which  cruel  Fate  had  thrown  her  and 
to  some  extent  vented  upon  them  her  dissatis 
faction  and  her  thwarted  love.  She  made  them 
build  her  a  strong  protection  and  shelter  each 
night  and  keep  a  great  fire  burning  before  it 
from  dusk  to  dawn.  When  she  tired  of  walk 
ing  they  were  forced  to  carry  her  upon  an 
improvised  litter,  nor  did  one  dare  to  ques- 

137 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

tion  her  authority  or  her  right  to  such  services. 
In  fact  they  did  not  question  either.  To  them 
she  was  a  goddess  and  each  loved  her  and  each 
hoped  that  he  would  be  chosen  as  her  mate, 
so  they  slaved  for  her  and  bore  the  stinging 
lash  of  her  displeasure  and  the  habitually 
haughty  disdain  of  her  manner  without  a 
murmur. 

For  many  days  they  marched,  the  apes  follow 
ing  the  trail  easily  and  going  a  little  distance 
ahead  of  the  body  of  the  caravan  that  they 
might  warn  the  others  of  impending  danger. 
It  was  during  a  noonday  halt  while  all  were 
lying  resting  after  a  tiresome  march  that  one 
of  the  apes  rose  suddenly  and  sniffed  the  breeze. 
In  a  low  guttural  he  cautioned  the  others  to 
silence  and  a  moment  later  was  swinging  quietly 
up  wind  into  the  jungle.  La  and  the  priests 
gathered  silently  together,  the  hideous  little 
men  fingering  their  knives  and  bludgeons,  and 
awaited  the  return  of  the  shaggy  anthropoid. 

Nor  had  they  long  to  wait  before  they  saw 
him  emerge  from  a  leafy  thicket  and  approach 
them.  Straight  to  La  he  came  and  in  the  lan 
guage  of  the  great  apes  which  was  also  the 
language  of  decadent  Opar  he  addressed  her. 

138 


LA  SEEKS  VENGEANCE 


"  The  great  Tarmangani  lies  asleep  there, " 
lie  said,  pointing  in  the  direction  from  which  he 
had  just  come.  "  Come  and  we  can  kill  him," 

"Do  not  kill  him,"  commanded  La  in  cold 
tones.  *  '  Bring  the  great  Tarmangani  to  me 
alive  and  unhurt.  The  vengeance  is  La's.  Go; 
but  make  no  sound !  "  and  she  waved  her  hands 
to  include  all  her  followers. 

Cautiously  the  weird  party  crept  through  the 
jungle  in  the  wake  of  the  great  ape  until  at 
last  he  halted  them  with  a  raised  hand  and 
pointed  upward  and  a  little  ahead.  There  they 
saw  the  giant  form  of  the  ape-man  stretched 
along  a  low  bough  and  even  in  sleep  one  hand 
grasped  a  stout  limb  and  one  strong,  brown 
leg  reached  out  and  overlapped  another.  At 
ease  lay  Tarzan  of  the  Apes,  sleeping  heavily 
upon  a  full  stomach  and  dreaming  of  Numa,  the 
lion,  and  Horta,  the  boar,  and  other  creatures 
of  the  jungle.  No  intimation  of  danger  assailed 
the  dormant  faculties  of  the  ape-man — he  saw 
no  crouching  hairy  figures  upon  the  ground 
beneath  him  nor  the  three  apes  that  swung 
quietly  into  the  tree  beside  him. 

The  first  intimation  of  danger  that  came  to 
Tarzan  was  the  impact  of  three  bodies  as  the 

139 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAE 

three  apes  leaped  upon  him  and  hurled  him 
to  the  ground,  where  he  alighted  half  stunned 
beneath  their  combined  weight  and  was  imme 
diately  set  upon  by  the  fifty  hairy  men  or  as 
many  of  them  as  could  swarm  upon  his  person. 
Instantly  the  ape-man  became  the  center  of  a 
whirling,  striking,  biting  maelstrom  of  horror. 
He  fought  nobly  but  the  odds  against  him  were 
too  great.  Slowly  they  overcame  him  though 
there  was  scarce  one  of  them  that  did  not  feel 
the  weight  of  his  mighty  fist  or  the  rending  of 
his  fangs. 


140 


CHAPTER  XIII 

CONDEMNED   TO   TOETUKE  AND  DEATH 

LA.  HAD  followed  her  company  and  when  she 
saw  them  clawing  and  biting  at  Tarzan, 
she  raised  her  voice  and  cautioned  them  not  to 
kill  him.  She  saw  that  he  was  weakening  and 
that  soon  the  greater  numbers  would  prevail 
over  him,  nor  had  she  long  to  wait  before  the 
mighty  jungle  creature  lay  helpless  and  bound 
at  her  feet. 

* '  Bring  him  to  the  place  at  which  we 
stopped/'  she  commanded  and  they  carried 
Tarzan  back  to  the  little  clearing  and  threw 
him  down  beneath  a  tree. 

"  Build  me  a  shelter!"  ordered  La.  "We 
shall  stop  here  tonight  and  tomorrow  in  the  face 
of  the  Flaming  God,  La  will  offer  up  the  heart 
of  this  defiler  of  the  temple.  Where  is  the 
sacred  knife  ?  Who  took  it  from  him  ? ' ' 

But  no  one  had  seen  it  and  each  was  positive 
in  his  assurance  that  the  sacrificial  weapon  had 
not  been  upon  Tarzan 's  person  when  they  cap- 

141 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

tured  him.  The  ape-man  looked  upon  the  men 
acing  creatures  which  surrounded  him  and 
snarled  his  defiance.  He  looked  upon  La  and 
smiled.  In  the  face  of  death  he  was  unafraid. 

"  Where  is  the  knife  I  "  La  asked  him. 

"  I  do  not  know,"  replied  Tarzan.  "  The 
man  took  it  with  him  when  he  slipped  away  dur 
ing  the  night.  Since  you  are  so  desirous  for  its 
return  I  would  look  for  him  and  get  it  back  for 
you,  did  you  not  hold  me  prisoner ;  but  now  that 
I  am  to  die  I  cannot  get  it  back.  Of  what  good 
was  your  knife,  anyway?  You  can  make 
another.  Did  you  follow  us  all  this  way  for 
nothing  more  than  a  knife?  Let  me  go  and  find 
him  and  I  will  bring  it  back  to  you." 

La  laughed  a  bitter  laugh,  for  in  her  heart 
she  knew  that  Tarzan 's  sin  was  greater  than 
the  purloining  of  the  sacred  sacrificial  knife 
of  Opar;  yet  as  she  looked  at  him  lying  bound 
and  helpless  before  her,  tears  rose  to  her  eyes 
so  that  she  had  to  turn  away  to  hide  them ;  but 
she  remained  inflexible  in  her  determination 
to  make  him  pay  in  frightful  suffering  and 
in  eventual  death  for  daring  to  spurn  the  love 
of  La, 

When  the  shelter  was  completed  La  had  Tar- 
142 


CONDEMNED  TO  TORTURE  AND  DEATH 

zan  transferred  to  it.  "  All  night  I  shall  tor 
ture  him,"  she  muttered  to  her  priests,  "  and 
at  the  first  streak  of  dawn  you  may  prepare 
the  flaming  altar  upon  which  his  heart  shall 
be  offered  up  to  the  Flaming  God.  Gather  wood 
well  filled  with  pitch,  lay  it  in  the  form  and 
size  of  the  altar  at  Opar  in  the  center  of  the 
clearing  that  the  Flaming  God  may  look  down 
upon  our  handiwork  and  be  pleased. 

During  the  balance  of  the  day  the  priests 
of  Opar  were  busy  erecting  an  altar  in  the  cen 
ter  of  the  clearing,  and  while  they  worked  they 
chanted  weird  hymns  in  the  ancient  tongue 
of  that  lost  continent  that  lies  at  the  bottom 
of  the  Atlantic.  They  knew  not  the  meanings 
of  the  words  they  mouthed ;  they  but  repeated 
the  ritual  that  had  been  handed  down  from 
preceptor  to  neophyte  since  that  long-gone  day 
when  the  ancestors  of  the  Piltdown  man  still 
swung  by  their  tails  in  the  humid  jungles  that 
are  England  now. 

And  in  the  shelter  of  the  hut,  La  paced  to 
and  fro  beside  the  stoic  ape-man.  Eesigned  to 
his  fate  was  Tarzan.  No  hope  of  succor 
gleamed  through  the  dead  black  of  the  death 
sentence  hanging  over  him.  He  knew  that  his 

143 


TABZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

giant  muscles  could  not  part  the  many  strands 
that  bound  his  wrists  and  ankles,  for  he  had 
strained  often,  but  ineffectually  for  release.  He 
had  no  hope  of  outside  help  and  only  enemies 
surrounded  him  within  the  camp,  and  yet  he 
smiled  at  La  as  she  paced  nervously  back  and 
forth  the  length  of  the  shelter. 

And  La?  She  fingered  her  knife  and  looked 
down  upon  her  captive.  She  glared  and  mut 
tered  but  she  did  not  strike.  "  Tonight!  "  she 
thought.  ' t  Tonight,  when  it  is  dark  I  will 
torture  him."  She  looked  upon  his  perfect, 
godlike  figure  and  upon  his  handsome,  smiling 
face  and  then  she  steeled  her  heart  again  by 
thoughts  of  her  love  spurned;  by  religious 
thoughts  that  damned  the  infidel  who  had  dese 
crated  the  holy  of  holies;  who  had  taken  from 
the  blood-stained  altar  of  Opar  the  offering  to 
the  Flaming  God — and  not  once  but  thrice. 
Three  times  had  Tarzan  cheated  the  god  of  her 
fathers.  At  the  thought  La  paused  and  knelt 
at  his  side.  In  her  hand  was  a  sharp  knife. 
She  placed  its  point  against  the  ape-man's  side 
and  pressed  upon  the  hilt;  but  Tarzan  only 
smiled  and  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

How  beautiful  he  was!  La  bent  low  over 
144 


CONDEMNED  TO  TORTURE  AND  DEATH 

him,  looking  into  Ms  eyes.  How  perfect  was 
his  figure.  She  compared  it  with  those  of  the 
knurled  and  knotted  men  from  whom  she  must 
choose  a  mate,  and  La  shuddered  at  the  thought. 
Dusk  came  and  after  dusk  came  night.  A  great 
fire  blazed  within  the  little  thorn  boma  about 
the  camp.  The  flames  played  upon  the  new 
altar  erected  in  the  center  of  the  clearing, 
arousing  in  the  mind  of  the  High  Priestess  of 
the  Flaming  God  a  picture  of  the  event  of  the 
coming  dawn.  She  saw  this  giant  and  perfect 
form  writhing  amid  the  flames  of  the  burn 
ing  pyre.  She  saw  those  smiling  lips,  burned 
and  blackened,  falling  away  from  the  strong, 
white  teeth.  She  saw  the  shock  of  black  hair 
tousled  upon  Tarzan's  well-shaped  head  dis 
appear  in  a  spurt  of  flame.  She  saw  these  and 
many  other  frightful  pictures  as  she  stood  with 
closed  eyes  and  clenched  fists  above  the  object 
of  her  hate — ah!  was  it  hate  that  La  of  Opar 
felt? 

The  darkness  of  the  jungle  night  had  set 
tled  down  upon  the  camp,  relieved  only  by  the 
fitful  flarings  of  the  fire  that  was  kept  up  to 
warn  off  the  man-eaters.  Tarzan  lay  quietly 
in  his  bonds.  He  suffered  from  thirst  and  from 

145 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OP  Alt 

the  cutting  of  the  tight  strands  about  his  wrists 
and  ankles;  but  he  made  no  complaint.  A 
jungle  beast  was  Tarzan  with  the  stoicism  of 
the  beast  and  the  intelligence  of  man.  He  knew 
that  his  doom  was  sealed — that  no  supplica 
tions  would  avail  to  temper  the  severity  of 
his  end  and  so  he  wasted  no  breath  in  plead 
ings;  but  waited  patiently  in  the  firm  convic 
tion  that  his  sufferings  could  not  endure  for 
ever. 

In  the  darkness  La  stooped  above  him.  In 
her  hand  was  a  sharp  knife  and  in  her  mind 
the  determination  to  initiate  his  torture  with 
out  further  delay.  The  knife  was  pressed 
against  his  side  and  La's  face  was  close  to 
his  when  a  sudden  burst  of  flame  from  new 
branches  thrown  upon  the  fire  without, 
lighted  up  the  interior  of  the  shelter.  Close 
beneath  her  lips  La  saw  the  perfect  features  of 
the  forest  god  and  into  her  woman's  heart 
welled  all  the  great  love  she  had  felt  for  Tar 
zan  since  first  she  had  seen  him,  and  all  the 
accumulated  passion  of  the  years  that  she  had 
dreamed  of  him. 

Dagger  in  hand,  La,  the  High  Priestess,  tow 
ered  above  the  helpless  creature  that  had  dared 

146 


CONDEMNED  TO  TORTURE  AND  DEATH 

to  violate  the  sanctuary  of  her  deity.  There 
should  be  no  torture — there  should  be  instant 
death.  No  longer  should  the  denier  of  the 
temple  pollute  the  sight  of  the  lord  god  al 
mighty.  A  single  stroke  of  the  heavy  blade 
and  then  the  corpse  to  the  flaming  pyre  with 
out.  The  knife  arm  stiffened  ready  for  the 
downward  plunge,  and  then  La,  the  woman, 
collapsed  weakly  upon  the  body  of  the  man  she 
loved. 

She  ran  her  hands  in  mute  caress  over  his 
naked  flesh;  she  covered  his  forehead,  his  eyes, 
his  lips  with  hot  kisses;  she  covered  him  with 
her  body  as  though  to  protect  him  from  the 
hideous  fate  she  had  ordained  for  him,  and 
in  trembling,  piteous  tones  she  begged  him  for 
his  love.  For  hours  the  frenzy  of  her  passion 
possessed  the  burning  hand-maiden  of  the  Flam 
ing  God,  until  at  last  sleep  overpowered  her 
and  she  lasped  into  unconsciousness  beside  the 
man  she  had  sworn  to  torture  and  to  slay.  And 
Tarzan,  untroubled  by  thoughts  of  the  future, 
slept  peacefully  in  La's  embrace. 

At  the  first  hint  of  dawn  the  chanting  of  the 
priests  of  Opar  brought  Tarzan  to  wakeful- 
ness.  Initiated  in  low  and  subdued  tones,  the 

147 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

sound  soon  rose  in  volume  to  the  open  diapa 
son  of  barbaric  blood  lust.  La  stirred.  Her 
perfect  arm  pressed  Tarzan  closer  to  her  —  a 
smile  parted  her  lips  and  then  she  awoke,  and 
slowly  the  smile  faded  and  her  eyes  went  wide 
in  horror  as  the  significance  of  the  death  chant 
impinged  upon  her  understanding. 

6  i  Love  me,  Tarzan ! ' '  she  cried.  ' l  Love  me, 
and  you  shall  be  saved. ' ' 

Tarzan 's  bonds  hurt  him.  He  was  suffering 
the  tortures  of  long-restricted  circulation. 
With  an  angry  growl  he  rolled  over  with  his 
back  toward  La.  That  was  her  answer!  The 
High  Priestess  leaped  to  her  feet.  A  hot  flush 
of  shame  mantled  her  cheek  and  then  she  went 
dead  white  and  stepped  to  the  shelter's 
entrance. 

"Come,  Priests  of  the  Flaming  God!"  she 
cried,  "  and  make  ready  the  sacrifice." 

The  warped  things  advanced  and  entered  the 
shelter.  They  laid  hands  upon  Tarzan  and  bore 
him  forth,  and  as  they  chanted  they  kept  time 
with  their  crooked  bodies,  swaying  to  and  fro 
to  the  rhythm  of  their  song  of  blood  and  death. 
Behind  them  came  La,  swaying  too;  but  not 
in  unison  with  the  chanted  cadence.  White  and 

148 


La  approached  with  upraised  knife 


CONDEMNED  TO  TORTURE  AND  DEATH 

drawn  was  the  face  of  the  High  Priestess  — 
white  and  drawn  with  unrequited  love  and  hide 
ous  terror  of  the  moments  to  come.  Yet  stern 
in  her  resolve  was  La.  The  infidel  should  die ! 
The  scoraer  of  her  love  should  pay  the  price 
upon  the  fiery  altar.  She  saw  them  lay  the 
perfect  body  there  upon  the  rough  branches. 
She  saw  the  High  Priest,  he  to  whom  custom 
would  unite  her — bent,  crooked,  gnarled, 
stunted,  hideous — advance  with  the  flaming 
torch  and  stand  awaiting  her  command  to  apply 
it  to  the  faggots  surrounding  the  sacrificial 
pyre.  His  hairy,  bestial  face  was  distorted  in 
a  yellow-fanged  grin  of  anticipatory  enjoy 
ment.  His  hands  were  cupped  to  receive  the 
life  blood  of  the  victim — the  red  nectar  that 
at  Opar  would  have  filled  the  golden  sacrificial 
goblets. 

La  approached  with  upraised  knife,  her  face 
turned  toward  the  rising  sun  and  upon  her  lips 
a  prayer  to  the  burning  deity  of  her  people. 
The  High  Priest  looked  questioningly  toward 
her — the  brand  was  burning  close  to  his  hand 
and  the  faggots  lay  temptingly  near.  Tarzan 
closed  his  eyes  and  awaited  the  end.  He  knew 
that  he  would  suffer,  for  he  recalled  the  faint 

149 


TABZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

memories  of  past  bums.  He  knew  that  be 
would  suffer  and  die;  but  he  did  not  flinch. 
Death  is  no  great  adventure  to  the  jungle  bred 
who  walk  hand-in-hand  with  the  grim  specter 
by  day  and  lie  down  at  his  side  by  night  through 
all  the  years  of  their  lives.  It  is  doubtful  that 
the  ape-man  even  speculated  upon  what  came 
after  death.  As  a  matter  of  fact  as  his  end 
approached,  his  mind  was  occupied  by  thoughts 
of  the  pretty  pebbles  he  had  lost,  yet  his  every 
faculty  still  was  open  to  what  passed  around 
him. 

He  felt  La  lean  over  him  and  he  opened  his 
eyes.  He  saw  her  white,  drawn  face  and  he 
saw  tears  blinding  her  eyes.  "Tarzan,  my 
Tarzan!  "  she  moaned,  "  tell  me  that  you  love 
me — that  you  will  return  to  Opar  with  me  — 
and  you  shall  live.  Even  in  the  face  of  the 
anger  of  my  people  I  will  save  you.  This  last 
chance  I  give  you.  What  is  your  answer!  " 

At  the  last  moment  the  woman  in  La  had 
triumphed  over  the  High  Priestess  of  a  cruel 
cult.  She  saw  upon  the  altar  the  only  creature 
that  ever  had  aroused  the  fires  of  love  within 
her  virgin  breast;  she  saw  the  beast-faced 
fanatic  who  would  one  day  be  her  mate,  unless 

150 


CONDEMNED  TO  TORTURE  AND  DEATH 

she  found  another  less  repulsive,  standing  with 
the  burning  torch  ready  to  ignite  the  pyre ;  yet 
with  all  her  mad  passion  for  the  ape-man  she 
would  give  the  word  to  apply  the  flame  if  Tar- 
zan's  final  answer  was  unsatisfactory.  With 
heaving  bosom  she  leaned  close  above  him. 
' '  Yes  or  no  1 ' '  she  whispered. 

Through  the  jungle,  out  of  the  distance,  came 
faintly  a  sound  that  brought  a  sudden  light  of 
hope  to  Tarzan's  eyes.  He  raised  his  voice 
in  a  weird  scream  that  sent  La  back  from  him 
a  step  or  two.  The  impatient  priest  grumbled 
and  switched  the  torch  from  one  hand  to  the 
other  at  the  same  time  holding  it  closer  to  the 
tinder  at  the  base  of  the  pyre. 

"Your  answer!"  insisted  La.  "What  is 
your  answer  to  the  love  of  La  of  Opar?  " 

Closer  came  the  sound  that  had  attracted 
Tarzan's  attention  and  now  the  others  heard 
it — the  shrill  trumpeting  of  an  elephant.  As 
La  looked  wide-eyed  into  Tarzan's  face,  there 
to  read  her  fate  for  happiness  or  heartbreak, 
she  saw  an  expression  of  concern  shadow  his 
features.  Now,  for  the  first  time,  she  guessed 
the  meaning  of  Tarzan's  shrill  scream — he  had 
summoned  Tantor,  the  elephant,  to  his  rescue ! 

151 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

La's  brows  contracted  in  a  savage  scowl. 
"  You  refuse  La!  "  she  cried.  "  Then  die!  The 
torch!  "  she  commanded,  turning  toward  the 
priest. 

Tarzan  looked  up  into  her  face.  ' '  Tantor 
is  coming, "  he  said.  "  I  thought  that  he  would 
rescue  me ;  but  I  know  now  from  his  voice  that 
he  will  slay  me  and  you  and  all  that  fall  in  his 
path,  searching  out  with  the  cunning  of  Sheeta, 
the  panther,  those  who  would  hide  from  him,  for 
Tantor  is  mad  with  the  madness  of  love." 

La  knew  only  too  well  the  insane  ferocity 
of  a  bull  elephant  in  must.  She  knew  that  Tar 
zan  had  not  exaggerated.  She  knew  that  the 
devil  in  the  cunning,  cruel  brain  of  the  great 
beast  might  send  it  hither  and  thither  hunt 
ing  through  the  forest  for  those  who  escaped 
its  first  charge,  or  the  beast  might  pass  on  with 
out  returning — no  one  might  guess  which. 

"I  cannot  love  you,  La,"  said  Tarzan  in  a 
low  voice.  "  I  do  not  know  why,  for  you  are 
very  beautiful.  I  could  not  go  back  and  live 
in  Opar — I  who  have  the  whole  broad  jungle 
for  my  range.  No,  I  cannot  love  you  but  I 
cannot  see  you  die  beneath  the  goring  tusks 
of  mad  Tantor.  Cut  my  bonds  before  it  is  too 

152 


CONDEMNED  TO  TORTURE  AND  DEATH 

late.  Already  he  is  almost  upon  us.  Cut  them 
and  I  may  yet  save  you." 

A  little  spiral  of  curling  smoke  rose  from 
one  corner  of  the  pyre — the  flames  licked  up 
ward,  crackling.  La  stood  there  like  a;  beauti 
ful  statue  of  despair  gazing  at  Tarzan  and  at 
the  spreading  flames.  In  a  moment  they  would 
reach  out  and  grasp  him.  From  the  tangled 
forest  came  the  sound  of  cracking  limbs  and 
crashing  trunks  —  Tantor  was  coming  down 
upon  them,  a  huge  Juggernaut  of  the  jungle. 
The  priests  were  becoming  uneasy.  They  cast 
apprehensive  glances  in  the  direction  of  the 
approaching  elephant  and  then  back  at  La. 

"  Fly! "  she  commanded  them  and  then  she 
stooped  and  cut  the  bonds  securing  her  prison 
er's  feet  and  hands.  In  an  instant  Tarzan  was 
upon  the  ground.  The  priests  screamed  out 
their  rage  and  disappointment.  He  with  the 
torch  took  a  menacing  step  toward  La  and 
the  ape-man.  "  Traitor!  "  he  shrieked  at  the 
woman.  "  For  this  you  too  shall  die!  "  Eais- 
ing  his  bludgeon  he  rushed  upon  the  High 
Priestess;  but  Tarzan  was  there  before  her. 
Leaping  in  to  close  quarters  the  ape-man  seized 
the  upraised  weapon  and  wrenched  it  from  the 

153 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

hands  of  the  frenzied  fanatic  and  then  the 
priest  closed  upon  him  with  tooth  and  nail. 
Seizing  the  stocky,  stunted  body  in  his  mighty 
hands  Tarzan  raised  the  creature  high  above 
his  head,  hurling  him  at  his  fellows  who  were 
now  gathered  ready  to  bear  down  upon  their 
erstwhile  captive.  La  stood  proudly  with  ready 
knife  behind  the  ape-man.  No  faint  sign  of  fear 
marked  her  perfect  brow — only  haughty  dis 
dain  for  her  priests  and  admiration  for  the 
man  she  loved  so  hopelessly  filled  her  thoughts. 

Suddenly  upon  this  scene  burst  the  mad 
bull — a  huge  tusker,  his  little  eyes  inflamed 
with  insane  rage.  The  priests  stood  for  an  in 
stant  paralyzed  with  terror;  but  Tarzan  turned 
and  gathering  La  in  his  arms  raced  for  the 
nearest  tree.  Tantor  bore  down  upon  him 
trumpeting  shrilly.  La  clung  with  both  white 
arms  about  the  ape-man's  neck.  She  felt  him 
leap  into  the  air  and  marveled  at  his  strength 
and  his  agility  as,  burdened  with  her  weight,  he 
swung  nimbly  into  the  lower  branches  of  a  large 
tree  and  quickly  bore  her  upward  beyond  reach 
of  the  sinuous  trunk  of  the  pachyderm. 

Momentarily  baffled  here,  the  huge  elephant 
wheeled  and  bore  down  upon  the  hapless  priests 

154 


CONDEMNED  TO  TORTURE  AND  DEATH 

who  had  now  scattered,  terror-stricken,  in  every 
direction.  The  nearest  he  gored  and  threw 
high  among  the  branches  of  a  tree.  One  he 
seized  in  the  coils  of  his  trunk  and  broke  upon 
a  huge  bole,  dropping  the  mangled  pulp  to 
charge,  trumpeting,  after  another.  Two  he 
trampled  beneath  his  huge  feet  and  by  then 
the  others  had  disappeared  into  the  jungle. 
Now  Tantor  turned  his  attention  once  more  to 
Tarzan  for  one  of  the  symptoms  of  madness  is 
a  revulsion  of  affection — objects  of  sane  love 
become  the  objects  of  insane  hatred.  Peculiar 
in  the  unwritten  annals  of  the  jungle  was  the 
proverbial  love  that  had  existed  between  the 
ape-man  and  the  tribe  of  Tantor.  No  elephant 
in  all  the  jungle  would  harm  the  Tannan- 
gani  —  the  white-ape;  but  with  the  madness 
of  must  upon  him  the  great  bull  sought  to  de 
stroy  his  long-time  play-fellow. 

Back  to  the  tree  where  La  and  Tarzan 
perched  came  Tantor,  the  elephant.  He  reared 
up  with  bis  forefeet  against  the  bole  and 
reached  high  toward  them  with  his  long  trunk ; 
but  Tarzan  had  foreseen  this  and  clambered 
beyond  the  bull's  longest  reach.  Failure  but 
tended  to  further  enrage  the  mad  creature. 

155 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

He  bellowed  and  trumpeted  and  screamed  until 
the  earth  shook  to  the  mighty  volume  of  his 
noise.  He  put  his  head  against  the  tree  and 
pushed  and  the  tree  bent  before  his  mighty 
strength;  yet  still  it  held. 

The  actions  of  Tarzan  were  peculiar  in  the 
extreme.  Had  Numa,  or  Sabor,  or  Sheeta,  or 
any  other  beast  of  the  jungle  been  seeking  to 
destroy  him,  the  ape-man  would  have  danced 
about  hurling  missiles  and  invective  at  his  as 
sailant.  He  would  have  insulted  and  taunted 
them,  reviling  in  the  jungle  Billingsgate  he  knew 
so  well;  but  now  he  sat  silent  out  of  Tantor 's 
reach  and  upon  his  handsome  face  was  an  ex 
pression  of  deep  sorrow  and  pity,  for  of  all  the 
jungle  folk  Tarzan  loved  Tantor  the  best. 
Could  he  have  slain  him  he  would  not  have 
thought  of  doing  so.  His  one  idea  was  to 
escape,  for  he  knew  that  with  the  passing  of 
the  must  Tantor  would  be  sane  again  and  that 
once  more  ho  might  stretch  at  full  length  upon 
that  mighty  back  and  make  foolish  speech  into 
those  great,  flapping  ears. 

Finding  that  the  tree  would  not  fall  to  his 
pushing,  Tantor  was  but  enraged  the  more.  He 
looked  up  at  the  two  perched  high  above  him, 

156 


Tantor  seized  one  in  the  coils  of  his  trunk 


CONDEMNED  TO  TOBTU&E  AND  DEATH 

his  red-rimmed  eyes  blazing  with  insane  hatred, 
and  then  he  wound  his  trunk  about  the  bole  of 
the  tree,  spread  his  great  feet  wide  apart  and 
tugged  to  uproot  the  jungle  giant.  A  huge  crea 
ture  was  Tantor,  an  enormous  bull  in  the  full 
prime  of  all  his  stupendous  strength.  Mightily 
he  strove  until  presently,  to  Tarzan's  consterna 
tion,  the  great  tree  gave  slowly  at  the  roots. 
The  ground  rose  in  little  mounds  and  ridges 
about  the  base  of  the  bole,  the  tree  tilted — in 
another  moment  it  would  be  uprooted  and  fall. 

The  ape-man  whirled  La  to  his  back  and  just 
as  the  tree  inclined  slowly  in  its  first  movement 
out  of  the  perpendicular,  before  the  sudden 
rush  of  its  final  collapse,  he  swung  to  the 
branches  of  a  lesser  neighbor.  It  was  a  long 
and  perilous  leap.  La  closed  her  eyes  and 
shuddered;  but  when  she  opened  them  again 
she  found  herself  safe  and  Tarzan  whirling 
onward  through  the  forest.  Behind  them  the 
uprooted  tree  crashed  heavily  to  the  ground, 
carrying  with  it  the  lesser  trees  in  its  path  and 
then  Tantor,  realizing  that  his  prey  had  escaped 
him,  set  up  once  more  his  hideous  trumpeting 
and  followed  at  a  rapid  charge  upon  their  trail. 


157 


CHAPTER  XIV 

A  PEIESTESS  BUT  YET  A  WOMAN 

AT  FIRST  La  closed  her  eyes  and  clung  to 
Tarzan  in  terror,  though  she  made  no  out 
cry  ;  but  presently  she  gained  sufficient  courage 
to  look  about  her,  to  look  down  at  the  ground  be 
neath  and  even  to  keep  her  eyes  open  during  the 
wide,  perilous  swings  from  tree  to  tree,  and  then 
there  came  over  her  a  sense  of  safety  because 
of  her  confidence  in  the  perfect  physical  crea 
ture  in  whose  strength  and  nerve  and  agility 
her  fate  lay.  Once  she  raised  her  eyes  to  the 
burning  sun  and  murmured  a  prayer  of  thanks 
to  her  pagan  god  that  she  had  not  been  per 
mitted  to  destroy  this  godlike  man,  and  her 
long  lashes  were  wet  with  tears.  A  strange 
anomaly  was  La  of  Opar — a  creature  of  cir 
cumstance  torn  by  conflicting  emotions.  Now 
the  cruel  and  bloodthirsty  creature  of  a  heart 
less  god  and  again  a  melting  woman  filled  with 
compassion  and  tenderness.  Sometimes  the  in 
carnation  of  jealousy  and  revenge  and  some- 

158 


A  PRIESTESS  BUT  YET  A  WOMAN 

times  a  sobbing  maiden,  generous  and  forgiv 
ing;  at  once  a  virgin  and  a  wanton;  but  always 
—  a  woman.  Such  was  La. 

She  pressed  her  cheek  close  to  Tarzan 's  shoul 
der.  Slowly  she  turned  her  head  until  her  hot 
lips  were  pressed  again  his  flesh.  She  loved 
him  and  would  gladly  have  died  for  him;  yet 
within  an  hour  she  had  been  ready  to  plunge 
a  knife  into  his  heart  and  might  again  within 
the  coming  hour. 

A  hapless  priest  seeking  shelter  in  the  jun 
gle  chanced  to  show  himself  to  enraged  Tantor. 
The  great  beast  turned  to  one  side,  bore  down 
upon  the  crooked,  little  man,  snuffed  him  out 
and  then,  diverted  from  his  course,  blundered 
away  toward  the  south.  In  a  few  minutes  even 
the  noise  of  his  trumpeting  was  lost  in  the  dis 
tance. 

£arzan  dropped  to  the  ground  and  La  slipped 
to  her  feet  from  his  back.  *  '  Call  your  people 
together,"  said  Tarzan. 

"  They  will  Mil  me,"  replied  La. 

"They  will  not  kill  you,"  contradicted  the 
ape-man.  ' l  No  one  will  kill  you  while  Tarzan 
of  the  Apes  is  here.  Call  them  and  we  will 
talk  with  them." 

159 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

La  raised  her  voice  in  a  weird,  flutelike  call 
that  carried  far  into  the  jungle  on  every  side. 
From  near  and  far  came  answering  shouts  in 
the  barking  tones  of  the  Oparian  priests :  "  We 
come!  We  come!  "  Again  and  again,  La  re 
peated  her  summons  until  singly  and  in  pairs 
the  greater  portion  of  her  following  approached 
and  halted  a  short  distance  away  from  the 
High  Priestess  and  her  savior.  They  came 
with  scowling  brows  and  threatening  mien. 
When  all  had  come  Tarzan  addressed  them. 

'  *  Your  La  is  safe, ' '  said  the  ape-man.  * '  Had 
she  slain  me  she  would  now  herself  be  dead 
and  many  more  of  you ;  but  she  spared  me  that 
I  might  save  her.  Go  your  way  with  her  back 
to  Opar,  and  Tarzan  will  go  his  way  into  the 
jungle.  Let  there  be  peace  always  between 
Tarzan  and  La.  What  is  your  answer? " 

The  priests  grumbled  and  shook  their  heads. 
They  spoke  together  and  La  and  Tarzan  could 
see  that  they  were  not  favorably  inclined 
toward  the  proposition.  They  did  not  wish  to 
take  La  back  and  they  did  wish  to  complete  the 
sacrifice  of  Tarzan  to  the  Flaming  God.  At 
last  the  ape-man  became  impatient. 

"You  will  obey  the  commands  of  your 
160 


A  PRIESTESS  BUT  YET  A  WOMAN 

queen,"  he  said,  "  and  go  back  to  Opar  with 
her  or  Tarzan  of  the  Apes  will  call  together  the 
other  creatures  of  the  jungle  and  slay  you  all. 
La  saved  me  that  I  might  save  you  and  her.  I 
have  served  you  better  alive  than  I  could  have 
dead.  If  you  are  not  all  fools  you  will  let  me 
go  my  way  in  peace  and  you  will  return  to  Opar 
with  La.  I  know  not  where  the  sacred  knife 
is;  but  you  can  fashion  another.  Had  I  not 
taken  it  from  La  you  would  have  slain  me  and 
now  your  god  must  be  glad  that  I  took  it  since 
I  have  saved  his  priestess  from  love-mad  Tan- 
tor.  Will  you  go  back  to  Opar  with  La,  prom 
ising  that  no  harm  shall  befall  her?  " 

The  priests  gathered  together  in  a  little  knot 
arguing  and  discussing.  They  pounded  upon 
their  breasts  with  their  fists ;  they  raised  their 
hands  and  eyes  to  their  fiery  god;  they  growled 
and  barked  among  themselves  until  it  became 
evident  to  Tarzan  that  one  of  their  number 
was  preventing  the  acceptance  of  his  propo 
sal.  This  was  the  High  Priest  whose  heart  was 
filled  with  jealous  rage  because  La  openly  ac 
knowledged  her  love  for  the  stranger,  when  by 
the  world  customs  of  their  cult  she  should  have 
belonged  to  him.  Seemingly  there  was  to  be 

161 


TABZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

no  solution  of  the  problem  until  another  priest 
stepped  forth  and,  raising  his  hand,  addressed 
La. 

"  Cadj,  the  High  Priest,"  he  announced, 
"  would  sacrifice  you  both  to  the  Flaming  God; 
but  all  of  us  except  Cadj  would  gladly  return 
to  Opar  with  our  queen. " 

"  You  are  many  against  one,"  spoke  up  Tar- 
zan.  "Why  should  you  not  have  your  will? 
Go  your  way  with  La  to  Opar  and  if  Cadj  in 
terferes  slay  him." 

The  priests  of  Opar  welcomed  this  sugges 
tion  with  loud  cries  of  approval.  To  them  it 
appeared  nothing  short  of  divine  inspiration. 
The  influence  of  ages  of  unquestioning  obe 
dience  to  high  priests  had  made  it  seem  impos 
sible  to  them  to  question  his  authority;  but 
when  they  realized  that  they  could  force  him 
to  their  will  they  were  as  happy  as  children 
with  new  toys. 

They  rushed  forward  and  seized  Cadj.  They 
talked  in  loud  menacing  tones  into  his  ear. 
They  threatened  him  with  bludgeon  and  knife 
until  at  last  he  acquiesced  in  their  demands, 
though  sullenly,  and  then  Tarzan  stepped  close 
before  Cadj. 

162 


A  PRIESTESS  BUT  YET  A  WOMAN 

"Priest,"  lie  said,  "La  goes  back  to  her 
temple  under  the  protection  of  her  priests  and 
the  threat  of  Tarzan  of  the  Apes  that  whoever 
harms  her  shall  die.  Tarzan  will  go  again  to 
Opar  before  the  next  rains  and  if  harm  has 
befallen  La,  woe  betide  Cadj,  the  High  Priest. " 

Sullenly  Cadj  promised  not  to  harm  his 
queen. 

"  Protect  her,"  cried  Tarzan  to  the  other 
Oparians.  '  '  Protect  her  so  that  when  Tarzan 
comes  again  he  will  find  La  there  to  greet 
him." 

"  La  will  be  there  to  greet  thee,"  exclaimed 
the  High  Priestess,  "  and  La  will  wait,  long 
ing,  always  longing,  until  you  come  again.  Oh, 
tell  me  that  you  will  come!  " 

"Who  knows?"  asked  the  ape-man  as  he 
swung  quickly  into  the  trees  and  raced  off 
toward  the  east. 

For  a  moment  La  stood  looking  after  him, 
then  her  head  drooped,  a  sigh  escaped  her 
tips  and  like  an  old  woman  she  took  up  the 
march  toward  distant  Opar. 

Through  the  trees  raced  Tarzan  of  the  Apes 
until  the  darkness  of  night  had  settled  upon  the 
jungle,  then  he  lay  down  and  slept,  with  no 

163 


TAR2SAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

thought  beyond  the  morrow  and  with  even  La 
but  the  shadow  of  a  memory  within  his  con 
sciousness. 

But  a  few  marches  to  the  north  Lady  Grey- 
stoke  looked  forward  to  the  day  when  her 
mighty  lord  and  master  should  discover  the 
crime  of  Achmet  Zek,  and  be  speeding  to  res 
cue  and  avenge,  and  even  as  she  pictured  the 
coming  of  John  Clayton,  the  object  of  her 
thoughts  squatted  almost  naked,  beside  a  fallen 
log,  beneath  which  he  was  searching  with  grimy 
fingers  for  a  chance  beetle  or  a  luscious  grub. 

Two  days  elapsed  following  the  theft  of  the 
jewels  before  Tarzan  gave  them  a  thought. 
Then,  as  they  chanced  to  enter  his  mind,  he  con 
ceived  a  desire  to  play  with  them  again,  and, 
having  nothing  better  to  do  than  satisfy  the 
first  whim  which  possessed  him,  he  rose  and 
started  across  the  plain  from  the  forest  in 
which  he  had  spent  the  preceding  day. 

Though  no  mark  showed  where  the  gems  had 
been  buried,  and  though  the  spot  resembled  the 
balance  of  an  unbroken  stretch  several  miles 
in  length,  where  the  reeds  terminated  at  the 
edge  of  the  meadowland,  yet  the  ape-man  moved 

164 


A  PRIESTESS  BUT  YET  A  WOMAN 

with  unerring  precision  directly  to  the  place 
where  he  had  hid  his  treasure. 

With  his  hunting  knife  he  upturned  the  loose 
earth,  beneath  which  the  pouch  should  be;  but, 
though  he  excavated  to  a  greater  distance  than 
the  depth  of  the  original  hole  there  was  no  sign 
of  pouch  or  jewels.  Tarzan 's  brow  clouded  as 
he  discovered  that  he  had  been  despoiled.  Little 
or  no  reasoning  was  required  to  convince  him 
of  the  identity  of  the  guilty  party,  and  with  the 
same  celerity  that  had  marked  his  decision  to 
unearth  the  jewels,  he  set  out  upon  the  trail  of 
the  thief. 

Though  the  spoor  was  two  days  old,  and 
practically  obliterated  in  many  places,  Tarzan 
followed  it  with  comparative  ease.  A  white 
man  could  not  have  followed  it  twenty  paces 
twelve  hours  after  it  had  been  made,  a  black 
man  would  have  lost  it  within  the  first  mile; 
but  Tarzan  of  the  Apes  had  been  forced  in  child 
hood  to  develop  senses  that  an  ordinary  mortal 
scarce  ever  uses. 

We  may  note  the  garlic  and  whisky  on  the 
breath  of  a  fellow  strap  hanger,  or  the  cheap 
perfume  emanating  from  the  person  of  the 
wondrous  lady  sitting  in  front  of  us,  and  de- 

165 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

plore  the  fact  of  our  sensitive  noses;  but,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  we  cannot  smell  at  all,  our 
olfactory  organs  are  practically  atrophied,  by 
comparison  with  the  development  of  the  sense 
among  the  beasts  of  the  wild. 

Where  a  foot  is  placed  an  effluvium  remains 
for  a  considerable  time.  It  is  beyond  the  range 
of  our  sensibilities;  but  to  a  creature  of  the 
lower  orders,  especially  to  the  hunters  and 
the  hunted,  as  interesting  and  ofttimes  more 
lucid  than  is  the  printed  page  to  us. 

Nor  was  Tarzan  dependent  alone  upon  his 
sense  of  smell.  Vision  and  hearing  had  been 
brought  to  a  marvelous  state  of  development  by 
the  necessities  of  his  early  life,  where  survival 
itself  depended  almost  daily  upon  the  exercise 
of  the  keenest  vigilance  and  the  constant  use 
of  all  his  faculties. 

And  so  he  followed  the  old  trail  of  the  Bel 
gian  through  the  forest  and  toward  the  north; 
but  because  of  the  age  of  the  trail  he  was  con 
strained  to  a  far  from  rapid  progress.  The  man 
he  followed  was  two  days  ahead  of  him  when 
Tarzan  took  up  the  pursuit,  and  each  day  he 
gained  upon  the  ape-man.  The  latter,  however, 
felt  not  the  slightest  doubt  as  to  the  outcome. 

166 


A  PRIESTESS  BUT  YET  A  WOMAN 

Some  day  he  would  overhaul  his  quarry — he 
could  bide  his  time  in  peace  until  that  day 
dawned.  Doggedly  he  followed  the  faint  spoor, 
pausing  by  day  only  to  kill  and  eat,  and  at  night 
only  to  sleep  and  refresh  himself. 

Occasionally  he  passed  parties  of  savage  war 
riors;  but  these  he  gave  a  wide  berth,  for  he 
was  hunting  with  a  purpose  that  was  not  to  be 
distracted  by  the  minor  accidents  of  the  trail. 

These  parties  were  of  the  collecting  hordes 
of  the  Waziri  and  their  alHes  which  Basuli  had 
scattered  his  messengers  broadcast  to  summon. 
They  were  marching  to  a  common  rendezvous  in 
preparation  for  an  assault  upon  the  stronghold 
of  Achmet  Zek;  but  to  Tarzan  they  were  ene 
mies — he  retained  no  conscious  memory  of  any 
friendship  for  the  black  men. 

It  was  night  when  he  halted  outside  the  pali 
saded  village  of  the  Arab  raider.  Perched  in 
the  branches  of  a  great  tree  he  gazed  down 
upon  the  life  within  the  enclosure.  To  this  place 
had  the  spoor  led  him.  His  quarry  must  be  with 
in  ;  but  how  was  he  to  find  him  among  so  many 
huts?  Tarzan,  although  cognizant  of  his 
mighty  powers,  realized  also  his  limitations. 
;He  knew  that  he  could  not  successfully  cope 

167 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

with  great  numbers  in  open  battle.  He  must 
resort  to  the  stealth  and  trickery  of  the  wild 
beast,  if  he  were  to  succeed. 

Sitting  in  the  safety  of  his  tree,  munching 
upon  the  leg  bone  of  Horta,  the  boar,  Tarzan, 
waited  a  favorable  opportunity  to  enter  the 
village.  For  awhile  he  gnawed  at  the  bulging, 
round  ends  of  the  large  bone,  splintering  off 
small  pieces  between  his  strong  jaws,  and  suck 
ing  at  the  delicious  marrow  within;  but  all  the 
time  he  cast  repeated  glances  into  the  village. 
He  saw  white-robed  figures,  and  half-naked 
blacks;  but  not  once  did  he  see  one  who  re 
sembled  the  stealer  of  the  gems. 

Patiently  he  waited  until  the  streets  were 
deserted  by  all  save  the  sentries  at  the  gates, 
then  he  droppe'd  lightly  to  the  ground,  circled 
to  the  opposite  side  of  the  village  and 
approached  the  palisade. 

At  his  side  hung  a  long,  rawhide  rope — a 
natural  and  more  dependable  evolution  from 
the  grass  rope  of  his  childhood.  Loosening  this, 
he  spread  the  noose  upon  the  ground  behind 
him,  and  with  a  quick  movement  of  his  wrist 
tossed  the  coils  over  one  of  the  sharpened  pro 
jections  of  the  summit  of  the  palisade. 

168 


A  PRIESTESS  BUT  YET  A  WOMAN 

Drawing  the  noose  taut,  he  tested  the  solidity 
of  its  hold.  Satisfied,  the  ape-man  ran  nimbly 
up  the  vertical  wall,  aided  by  the  rope  which  he 
clutched  in  both  hands.  Once  at  the  top  it  re 
quired  but  a  moment  to  gather  the  dangling 
rope  once  more  into  its  coils,  make  it  fast  again 
at  his  waist,  take  a  quick  glance  downward 
within  the  palisade,  and,  assured  that  no  one 
lurked  directly  beneath  him,  drop  softly  to  the 
ground. 

Now  he  was  within  the  village.  Before  him 
stretched  a  series  of  tents  and  native  huts.  The 
business  of  exploring  each  of  them  would  be 
fraught  with  danger;  but  danger  was  only  a 
natural  factor  of  each  day's  life — it  never  ap 
palled  Tarzan.  The  chances  appealed  to  him — 
the  chances  of  life  and  death,  with  his  prowess 
and  his  faculties  pitted  against  those  of  a 
worthy  antagonist. 

It  was  not  necessary  that  he  enter  each  habi 
tation —  through  a  door,  a  window  or  an  open 
chink,  his  nose  told  him  whether  or  no  his  prey 
lay  within.  For  some  time  he  found  one  dis 
appointment  following  upon  the  heels  of  an 
other  in  quick  succession.  No  spoor  of  the  Bel 
gian  was  discernible.  But  at  last  he  came  to  a 

169 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

tent  where  the  smell  of  the  thief  was  strong. 
Tarzan  listened,  his  ear  close  to  the  canvas 
at  the  rear,  but  no  sound  came  from  within. 

At  last  he  cut  one  of  the  pin  ropes,  raised 
the  bottom  of  the  canvas,  and  intruded  his 
head  within  the  interior.  All  was  quiet  and 
dark.  Tarzan  crawled  cautiously  within — the 
scent  of  the  Belgian  was  strong;  but  it  was  not 
live  scent.  Even  before  he  had  examined  the 
interior  minutely,  Tarzan  knew  that  no  one  was 
within  it. 

In  one  corner  he  found  a  pile  of  blankets  and 
clothing  scattered  about ;  but  no  pouch  of  pretty 
pebbles.  A  careful  examination  of  the  balance 
of  the  tent  revealed  nothing  more,  at  least  noth 
ing  to  indicate  the  presence  of  the  jewels;  but 
at  the  side  where  the  blankets  and  clothing  lay, 
the  ape-man  discovered  that  the  tent  wall  had 
been  loosened  at  the  bottom,  and  presently  he 
sensed  that  the  Belgian  had  recently  passed  out 
of  the  tent  by  this  avenue. 

Tarzan  was  not  long  in  following  the  way 
that  his  prey  had  fled.  The  spoor  led  always 
in  the  shadow  and  at  the  rear  of  the  huts  and 
tents  of  the  village — it  was  quite  evident  to 
Tarzan  that  the  Belgian  had  gone  alone  and  se- 

170 


A  PRIESTESS  BUT  YET  A  WOMAN 

cretly  upon  his  mission.  Evidently  lie  feared 
the  inhabitants  of  the  village,  or  at  least  his 
work  had  been  of  such  a  nature  that  he  dared 
not  risk  detection. 

At  the  back  of  a  native  hut  the  spoor  led 
through  a  small  hole  recently  cut  in  the  brush 
wall  and  into  the  dark  interior  beyond.  Fear 
lessly,  Tarzan  followed  the  trail.  On  hands  and 
knees  he  crawled  through  the  small  aperture. 
Within  the  hut  his  nostrils  were  assailed  by 
many  odors ;  but  clear  and  distinct  among  them 
was  one  that  half  aroused  a  latent  memory  of 
the  past — it  was  the  faint  and  delicate  odor  of 
a  woman.  With  the  cognizance  of  it  there  rose 
in  the  breast  of  the  ape-man  a  strange  uneasi 
ness — the  result  of  an  irresistible  force  which 
he  was  destined  to  become  acquainted  with 
anew — the  instinct  which  draws  the  male  to  his 
mate. 

In  the  same  hut  was  the  scent  spoor  of  the 
'Belgian,  too,  and  as  both  these  assailed  the  nos 
trils  of  the  ape-man,  mingling  one  with  the 
other,  a  jealous  rage  leaped  and  burned  within 
him,  though  his  memory  held  before  the  mirror 
of  recollection  no  image  of  the  she  to  which  he 
had  attached  his  desire. 

171 


TAR2AN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

Like  the  tent  he  had  investigated,  the  hut, 
too,  was  empty,  and  after  satisfying  himself 
that  his  stolen  pouch  was  secreted  nowhere 
within,  he  left,  as  he  had  entered,  by  the  hole 
in  the  rear  wall. 

Here  he  took  up  the  spoor  of  the  Belgian,  fol 
lowed  it  across  the  clearing,  over  the  palisade, 
and  out  into  the  dark  jungle  beyond. 


172 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE  FLIGHT  OF  WEEPBB 

AFTER  Werper  had  arranged  the  dummy  in 
his  bed,  and  sneaked  ont  into  the  darkness 
of  the  village  beneath  the  rear  wall  of  his  tent, 
he  had  gone  directly  to  the  hut  in  which  Jane 
Clayton  was  held  captive. 

Before  the  doorway  squatted  a  black  sentry. 
Werper  approached  him  boldly,  spoke  a  few 
words  in  his  ear,  handed  him  a  package  of  to 
bacco,  and  passed  into  the  hut.  The  black 
grinned  and  winked  as  the  European  disap 
peared  within  the  darkness  of  the  interior. 

The  Belgian,  being  one  of  Achmet  Zek's  prin 
cipal  lieutenants,  might  naturally  go  where  he 
wished  within  or  without  the  village,  and  so  the 
sentry  had  not  questioned  his  right  to  enter  the 
hut  with  the  white,  woman  prisoner. 

Within,  Werper  called  in  French  and  in  a  low 
whisper:  "Lady  Greystoke!  It  is  I,  M.  Fre- 
coult.  Where  are  you?"  But  there  was  no 
response.  Hastily  the  man  felt  around  the  in- 

173 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

terior,  groping  blindly  through  the  darkness 
with  outstretched  hands.  There  was  no  one 
within ! 

Werper's  astonishment  surpassed  words. 
He  was  on  the  point  of  stepping  without  to  ques 
tion  the  sentry,  when  his  eyes,  becoming  ac 
customed  to  the  dark,  discovered  a  blotch  of 
lesser  blackness  near  the  base  of  the  rear  wall 
of  the  hut  Examination  revealed  the  fact  that 
the  blotch  was  an  opening  cut  in  the  wall.  It 
was  large  enough  to  permit  the  passage  of  his 
body,  and,  assured  as  he  was,  that  Lady  Grey- 
stoke  had  passed  out  through  the  aperture  in 
an  attempt  to  escape  the  village,  he  lost  no  time 
in  availing  himself  of  the  same  avenue;  but 
neither  did  he  lose  time  in  a  fruitless  search  for 
Jane  Clayton. 

His  own  life  depended  upon  the  chance  of  his 
eluding,  or  outdistancing  Achmet  Zek,  when 
that  worthy  should  have  discovered  that  he  had 
escaped.  His  original  plan  had  contemplated 
connivance  in  the  escape  of  Lady  Greystoke 
for  two  very  good  and  sufficient  reasons.  The 
first  was  that  by  saving  her  he  would  win  the 
gratitude  of  the  English,  and  thus  lessen  the 
chance  of  his  extradition  should  his  identity  and 

174 


THE  FLIGHT  OP  WEEPER 


his  crime  against  his  superior  officer  be  charged 
against  him. 

The  second  reason  was  based  upon  the  fact 
that  only  one  direction  of  escape  was  safely 
open  to  him.  He  could  not  travel  to  the  west 
because  of  the  Belgian  possessions  which  lay 
between  him  and  the  Atlantic.  The  south  was 
closed  to  him  by  the  feared  presence  of  the  sav 
age  ape-man  he  had  robbed.  To  the  north  lay 
the  friends  and  allies  of  Achmet  Zek.  Only 
toward  the  east,  through  British  East  Africa, 
lay  reasonable  assurance  of  freedom. 

Accompanied  by  a  titled  Englishwoman  whom 
he  had  rescued  from  a  frightful  fate,  and 
his  identity  vouched  for  by  her  as  that  of  a 
Frenchman  by  the  name  of  Frecoult,  he  had 
looked  forward,  and  not  without  reason,  to  the 
active  assistance  of  the  British  from  the  mo 
ment  that  he  came  in  contact  with  their  first 
outpost. 

But  now  that  Lady  Grreystoke  had  disap 
peared,  though  he  still  looked  toward  the  east 
for  hope,  his  chances  were  lessened,  and  an 
other,  subsidiary  design  completely  dashed. 
From  the  moment  that  he  had  first  laid  eyes 
upon  Jane  Clayton  he  had  nursed  within  Ms 

175 


TABZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  QPAB 

breast  a  secret  passion  for  the  beautiful  Ameri 
can  wife  of  the  English  lord,  and  when  Achmet 
Zek's  discovery  of  the  jewels  had  necessitated 
flight,  the  Belgian  had  dreamed,  in  his  plan 
ning,  of  a  future  in  which  he  might  convince 
Lady  Greystoke  that  her  husband  was  dead, 
and  by  playing  upon  her  gratitude  win  her  for 
himself. 

At  that  part  of  the  village  farthest  from 
the  gates,  Werper  discovered  that  two  or  three 
long  poles,  taken  from  a  nearby  pile  which  had 
been  collected  for  the  construction  of  huts,  had 
been  leaned  against  the  top  of  the  palisade, 
forming  a  precarious,  though  not  impossible 
avenue  of  escape. 

Rightly,  he  inferred  that  thus  had  Lady  Grey- 
stoke  found  the  means  to  scale  the  wall,  nor  did 
he  lose  even  a  moment  in  following  her  lead. 
Once  in  the  jungle  he  struck  out  directly  east 
ward. 

A  few  miles  south  of  him,  Jane  Clayton  lay 
panting  among  the  branches  of  a  tree  in  which 
she  had  taken  refuge  from  a  prowling  and  hun 
gry  lioness. 

Her  escape  from  the  village  had  been  much 
easier  than  she  had  anticipated.  The  knife 

176 


THE  FLIGHT  OF  WBEFBB 


which  she  had  used  to  cut  her  way  through  the 
brush  wall  of  the  hut  to  freedom,  she  had  found 
sticking  in  the  wall  of  her  prison,  doubtless  left 
there  by  accident  when  a  former  tenant  had 
vacated  the  premises. 

To  cross  the  rear  of  the  village,  keeping  al 
ways  in  the  densest  shadows,  had  required  but 
a  few  moments,  and  the  fortunate  circumstance 
of  the  discovery  of  the  hut  poles  lying  so  near 
the  palisade  had  solved  for  her  the  problem  of 
the  passage  of  the  high  wall. 

For  an  hour  she  had  followed  the  old  game 
trail  toward  the  south,  until  there  fell  upon  her 
trained  hearing  the  stealthy  padding  of  a  stalk 
ing  beast  behind  her.  The  nearest  tree  gave 
her  instant  sanctuary,  for  she  was  too  wise  in 
the  ways  of  the  jungle  to  chance  her  safety  for 
a  moment  after  discovering  that  she  was  being 
hunted. 

Werper,  with  better  success,  traveled  slowly 
onward  until  dawn,  when,  to  his  chagrin,  he 
discovered  a  mounted  Arab  upon  his  trail.  It 
was  one  of  Achmet  Zek's  minions,  many  of 
whom  were  scattered  in  all  directions  through 
the  forest,  searching  for  the  fugitive  Belgian. 

Jane  Clayton  >s  escape  had  not  yet  been  dis- 
177 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

covered  when  Achmet  Zek  and  his  searchers 
set  forth  to  overhaul  Werper.  The  only  man 
who  had  seen  the  Belgian  after  his  departure 
from  his  tent  was  the  black  sentry  before  the 
doorway  of  Lady  Greystoke's  prison  hut,  and 
he  had  been  silenced  by  the  discovery  of  the 
dead  body  of  the  man  who  had  relieved  him, 
the  sentry  that  Mugambi  had  dispatched. 

The  bribe  taker  naturally  inferred  that  Wer 
per  had  slain  his  fellow  and  dared  not  admit 
that  he  had  permitted  him  to  enter  the  hut, 
fearing  as  he  did,  the  anger  of  Achmet  Zek. 
So,  as  chance  directed  that  he  should  be  the 
one  to  discover  the  body  of  the  sentry  when  the 
first  alarm  had  been  given  following  Achmet 
Zek's  discovery  that  Werper  had  outwitted  him, 
the  crafty  black  had  dragged  the  dead  body  to 
the  interior  of  a  nearby  tent,  and  himself  re 
sumed  his  station  before  the  doorway  of  the 
hut  in  which  he  still  believed  the  woman  to  be. 

With  the  discovery  of  the  Arab  close  behind 
him,  the  Belgian  hid  in  the  foliage  of  a  leafy 
bush.  Here  the  trail  ran  straight  for  a  consid 
erable  distance,  and  down  the  shady  forest  aisle, 
beneath  the  overarching  branches  of  the  trees, 
rode  the  white-robed  figure  of  the  pursuer. 

178 


THE  FLIGHT  OF  WEEPER 


Nearer  and  nearer  lie  came.  Werper 
crouched  closer  to  the  ground  behind  the  leaves 
of  his  hiding  place.  Across  the  trail  a  vine 
moved.  Werper's  eyes  instantly  centered  upon 
the  spot.  There  was  no  wind  to  stir  the  foliage 
in  the  depths  of  the  jungle.  Again  the  vine 
moved.  In  the  mind  of  the  Belgian  only  the 
presence  of  a  sinister  and  malevolent  force 
could  account  for  the  phenomenon. 

The  man's  eyes  bored  steadily  into  the  screen 
of  leaves  upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  trail. 
Gradually  a  form  took  shape  beyond  them — a 
tawny  form,  grim  and  terrible,  with  yellow- 
green  eyes  glaring  fearsomely  across  the  nar 
row  trail  straight  into  his. 

Werper  could  have  screamed  in  fright,  but 
up  the  trail  was  coming  the  messenger  of  an 
other  death,  equally  sure  and  no  less  terrible. 
He  remained  silent,  almost  paralyzed  by  fear. 
The  Arab  approached.  Across  the  trail  from 
Werper  the  lion  crouched  for  the  spring,  when 
suddenly  his  attention  was  attracted  toward  the 
horseman. 

The  Belgian  saw  the  massive  bead  turn  in 
the  direction  of  the  raider  and  his  heart  all  but 
ceased  its  beating  as  he  waited  the  result  of 

179 


TAB2AN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

this  interruption.  At  a  walk  the  horseman  ap 
proached.  Would  the  nervous  animal  he  rode 
take  fright  at  the  odor  of  the  carnivore,  and, 
bolting,  leave  Werper  still  to  the  mercies  of  the 
king  of  beasts  f 

But  he  seemed  unmindful  of  the  near  pres 
ence  of  the  great  cat.  On  he  came,  his  neck 
arched,  champing  at  the  bit  between  his  teeth. 
The  Belgian  turned  his  eyes  again  toward  the 
lion.  The  beast's  whole  attention  now  seemed 
riveted  upon  the  horseman.  They  were  abreast 
the  lion  now,  and  still  the  brute  did  not  spring. 
Could  he  be  but  waiting  for  them  to  pass  be 
fore  returning  his  attenton  to  the  original  prey? 
Werper  shuddered  and  half  rose.  At  the  same 
instant  the  lion  sprang  from  his  place  of  con 
cealment,  full  upon  the  mounted  man.  The 
horse,  with  a  shrill  neigh  of  terror,  shrank  side 
ways  almost  upon  the  Belgian,  the  lion  dragged 
the  helpless  Arab  from  his  saddle,  and  the  horse 
leaped  back  into  the  trail  and  fled  away  toward 
the  west. 

But  he  did  not  flee  alone.  As  the  frightened 
beast  had  pressed  in  upon  him,  Werper  had  not 
been  slow  to  note  the  quickly  emptied  saddle 
and  the  opportunity  it  presented.  Scarcely  had 

180 


The  lion  dragged  the  Arab  from  his  saddle 


THE  FLIGHT  OP  WEEPER 


the  lion  dragged  the  Arab  down  from  one  side, 
than  the  Belgian,  seizing  the  pommel  of  the 
saddle  and  the  horse's  mane,  leaped  upon  the 
horse's  back  from  the  other. 

A  half  hour  later  a  naked  giant,  swinging 
easily  through  the  lower  branches  of  the  trees, 
paused,  and  with  raised  head,  and  dilating  nos 
trils  sniffed  the  morning  air.  The  smell  of 
blood  fell  strong  upon  his  sense,  and  mingled 
with  it  was  the  scent  of  Numa,  the  lion.  The 
giant  cocked  his  head  upon  one  side  and  lis 
tened. 

From  a  short  distance  up  the  trail  came  the 
unmistakable  noises  of  the  greedy  feeding  of 
a  lion.  The  crunching  of  bones,  the  gulping 
of  great  pieces,  the  contented  growling,  all  at 
tested  the  nearness  of  the  king  at  table. 

Tarzan  approached  the  spot,  still  keeping  to 
the  branches  of  the  trees.  He  made  no  effort 
to  conceal  his  approach,  and  presently  he  had 
evidence  that  Numa  had  heard  him,  from  the 
ominous,  rumbling  warning  that  broke  from  a 
thicket  beside  the  trail. 

Halting  upon  a  low  branch  just  above  the 
lion  Tarzan  looked  down  upon  the  grisly  scene. 
Could  this  unrecognizable  thing  be  the  man  he 

181 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

had  been  trailing?  The  ape-man  wondered. 
From  time  to  time  he  had  descended  to  the 
trail  and  verified  his  judgment  by  the  evidence 
of  his  scent  that  the  Belgian  had  followed  this 
game  trail  toward  the  east. 

Now  he  proceeded  beyond  the  lion  and  his 
feast,  again  descended  and  examined  the  ground 
with  his  nose.  There  was  no  scent  spoor  here 
of  the  man  he  had  been  trailing.  Tarzan  re 
turned  to  the  tree.  With  keen  eyes  he  searched 
the  ground  about  the  mutilated  corpse  for  a 
sign  of  the  missing  pouch  of  pretty  pebbles ;  but 
naught  could  he  see  of  it. 

He  scolded  Numa  and  tried  to  drive  the  great 
beast  away;  but  only  angry  growls  rewarded 
his  efforts.  He  tore  small  branches  from  a 
nearby  limb  and  hurled  them  at  his  ancient  en 
emy.  Numa  looked  up  with  bared  fangs,  grin 
ning  hideously,  but  he  did  not  rise  from  his 
Mil. 

Then  Tarzan  fitted  an  arrow  to  his  bow,  and 
drawing  the  slim  shaft  far  back  let  drive  with 
all  the  force  of  the  tough  wood  that  only  he 
could  bend.  As  the  arrow  sank  deeply  into  his 
side,  Numa  leaped  to  his  feet  with  a  roar  of  min 
gled  rage  and  pain.  He  leaped  futilely  at  the 

182 


THE  FLIGHT  OF  WEEPER 


grinning  ape-man,  tore  at  the  protruding  end 
of  the  shaft,  and  then,  springing  into  the  trail, 
paced  back  and  forth  beneath  his  tormentor. 
Again  Tarzan  loosed  .a  swift  bolt.  This  time 
the  missile,  aimed  with  care,  lodged  in  the  lion's 
spine.  The  great  creature  halted  in  its  tracks, 
and  lurched  awkwardly  forward  upon  its  face, 
paralyzed. 

Tarzan  dropped  to  the  trail,  ran  quickly  to 
the  beast's  side,  and  drove  his  spear  deep  into 
the  fierce  heart,  then  after  recovering  his  ar 
rows  turned  his  attention  to  the  mutilated  re 
mains  of  the  animal's  prey  in  the  nearby 
thicket. 

The  face  was  gone.  The  Arab  garments 
aroused  no  doubt  as  to  the  man's  identity,  since 
he  had  trailed  him  into  the  Arab  camp  and  out 
again,  where  he  might  easily  have  acquired  the 
apparel.  So  sure  was  Tarzan  that  the  body 
was  that  of  he  who  had  robbed  him  that  he 
made  no  effort  to  verify  his  deductions  by  scent 
among  the  conglomerate  odors  of  the  great 
carnivore  and  the  fresh  blood  of  the  victim. 

He  confined  his  attentions  to  a  careful  search 
for  the  pouch,  but  nowhere  upon  or  about  the 
corpse  was  any  sign  of  the  missing  article  or 

183 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

its  contents.  The  ape-man  was  disappointed — 
possibly  not  so  much  because  of  the  loss  of  the 
colored  pebbles  as  with  Numa  for  robbing  him 
of  the  pleasures  of  revenge. 

Wondering  what  could  have  become  of  his 
possessions,  the  ape-man  turned  slowly  back 
along  the  trail  in  the  direction  from  which  he 
had  come.  In  his  mind  he  revolved  a  plan  to 
enter  and  search  the  Arab  camp,  after  darkness 
had  again  fallen.  Taking  to  the  trees,  he  moved 
directly  south  in  search  of  prey,  that  he  might 
satisfy  his  hunger  before  midday,  and  then  lie 
up  for  the  afternoon  in  some  spot  far  from  the 
camp,  where  he  might  sleep  without  fear  of  dis 
covery  until  it  came  time  to  prosecute  his  de 
sign. 

Scarcely  had  he  quitted  the  trail  when  a  tall, 
black  warrior,  moving  at  a  dogged  trot,  passed 
toward  the  east.  It  was  Mugambi,  searching 
for  his  mistress.  He  continued  along  the  trail, 
halting  to  examine  the  body  of  the  dead  Iion0 
An  expression  of  puzzlement  crossed  his  fea 
tures  as  he  bent  to  search  for  the  wounds  which 
had  caused  the  death  of  the  jungle  lord.  Tarzan 
had  removed  his  arrows,  but  to  Mugambi  the 
proof  of  death  was  as  strong  as  though  both 

184 


THE  FLIGHT  OF  WEEPER 


the  lighter  missiles  and  the  spear  still  protruded 
from  the  carcass. 

The  black  looked  furtively  about  him.  The 
body  was  still  warm,  and  from  this  fact  he  rea 
soned  that  the  killer  was  close  at  hand,  yet  no 
sign  of  living  man  appeared.  Mugambi  shook 
his  head,  and  continued  along  the  trail,  but  with 
redoubled  caution. 

All  day  he  traveled,  stopping  occasionally  to 
call  aloud  the  single  word,  "  Lady,"  in  the  hope 
that  at  last  she  might  hear  and  respond;  but 
in  the  end  his  loyal  devotion  brought  him  to 
disaster. 

From  the  northeast,  for  several  months, 
Abdul  Mourak,  in  command  of  a  detachment 
of  Abyssinian  soldiers,  had  been  assiduously 
searching  for  the  Arab  raider,  AchmetZek,  who, 
six  months  previously,  had  affronted  the  majes 
ty  of  Abdul  Mourak 's  emperor  by  conducting  a 
slave  raid  within  the  boundaries  of  Menelek's 
domain. 

And  now  it  happened  that  Abdul  Mourak  had 
halted  for  a  short  rest  at  noon  upon  this  very 
day  and  along  the  same  trail  that  Werper  and 
Mugambi  were  following  toward  the  east. 

It  was  shortly  after  the  soldiers  had  dismount- 
185 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

ed  that  the  Belgian,  unaware  of  their  presence, 
rode  his  tired  mount  almost  into  their  midst, 
before  he  had  discovered  them.  Instantly  he 
was  surrounded,  and  a  volley  of  questions 
hurled  at  him,  as  he  was  pulled  from  his  horse 
and  led  toward  the  presence  of  the  commander. 

Falling  back  upon  his  European  nationality, 
Werper  assured  Abdul  Mourak  that  he  was  a 
Frenchman,  hunting  in  Africa,  and  that  he  had 
been  attacked  by  strangers,  his  safari  killed  or 
scattered,  and  himself  escaping  only  by  a 
miracle. 

From  a  chance  remark  of  the  Abyssinian, 
Werper  discovered  the  purpose  of  the  expedi 
tion,  and  when  he  realized  that  these  men  were 
the  enemies  of  Achmet  Zek,  he  took  heart,  and 
immediately  blamed  his  predicament  upon  the 
Arab. 

Lest,  however,  he  might  again  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  raider,  he  discouraged  Abdul 
Mourak  in  the  further  prosecution  of  his  pur 
suit,  assuring  the  Abyssinian  that  Achmet  Zek 
commanded  a  large  and  dangerous  force,  and 
also  that  he  was  marching  rapidly  toward  the 
south. 

Convinced  that  it  would  take  a  long  time  to 
186 


THE  FLIGHT  OF  WEEPER 


overhaul  the  raider,  and  that  the  chances  of 
engagement  made  the  outcome  extremely  ques 
tionable,  Mourak,  none  too  unwillingly,  aban 
doned  his  plan  and  gave  the  necessary  orders 
for  his  command  to  pitch  camp  where  they  were, 
preparatory  to  taking  up  the  return  march 
toward  Abyssinia  the  following  morning. 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  that  the  atten 
tion  of  the  camp  was  attracted  toward  the  west 
by  the  sound  of  a  powerful  voice  calling  a  single 
word,  repeated  several  times:  "  Lady!  Lady! 
Lady!" 

True  to  their  instincts  of  precaution,  a  num 
ber  of  Abyssinians,  acting  under  orders  from 
Abdul  Mourak,  advanced  stealthily  through  the 
jungle  toward  the  author  of  the  call. 

A  half  hour  later  they  returned,  dragging 
Mugambi  among  them.  The  first  person  the 
big  black's  eyes  fell  upon  as  he  was  hustled  into 
the  presence  of  the  Abyssinian  officer,  was  M. 
Jules  Frecoult,  the  Frenchman  who  had  been 
the  guest  of  his  master  and  whom  he  last  had 
seen  entering  the  village  of  Achmet  Zek  under 
circumstances  which  pointed  his  familiarity  and 
friendship  for  the  raiders. 

Between  the  disasters  that  had  befallen  his 
187 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

master  and  his  master's  house,  and  the  French 
man,  Mugambi  saw  a  sinister  relationship, 
which  kept  him  from  recalling  to  Werper's  at 
tention  the  identity  which  the  latter  evidently 
failed  to  recognize. 

Pleading  that  he  was  but  a  harmless  hunter 
from  a  tribe  farther  south,  Mugambi  begged  to 
be  allowed  to  go  upon  his  way ;  but  Abdul  Mou- 
rak,  admiring  the  warrior's  splendid  physique, 
decided  to  take  him  back  to  Adis  Abeba  and 
present  him  to  Menelek.  A  few  moments  later 
Mugambi  and  Werper  were  marched  away  un 
der  guard,  and  the  Belgian  learned  for  the  first 
time,  that  he  too  was  a  prisoner  rather  than  a 
guest.  In  vain  he  protested  against  such  treat 
ment,  until  a  strapping  soldier  struck  him 
across  the  mouth  and  threatened  to  shoot  him 
if  he  did  not  desist. 

Mugambi  took  the  matter  less  to  heart,  for 
he  had  not  the  slightest  doubt  but  that  during 
the  course  of  the  journey  he  would  find  ample 
opportunity  to  elude  the  vigilance  of  his  guards 
and  make  good  his  escape.  With  this  idea  al 
ways  uppermost  in  his  mind,  he  courted  the 
good  opinion  of  the  Abyssinians,  asked  them 
many  questions  about  their  emperor  and  their 

188 


THE  FLIGHT  OF  WEEPER 


country,  and  evinced  a  growing  desire  to  reach 
their  destination,  that  he  might  enjoy  all  the 
good  things  which  they  assured  him  the  city 
of  Adis  Abeba  contained.  Thus  he  disarmed 
their  suspicions,  and  each  day  found  a  slight 
relaxation  of  their  watchfulness  over  him. 

By  taking  advantage  of  the  fact  that  he  and 
Werper  always  were  kept  together,  Mugambi 
sought  to  learn  what  the  other  knew  of  the 
whereabouts  of  Tarzan,  or  the  authorship  of 
the  raid  upon  the  bungalow,  as  well  as  the  fate 
of  Lady  Greystoke;  but  as  he  was  confined  to 
the  Accidents  of  conversation  for  this  informa 
tion,  not  daring  to  acquaint  Werper  with  his 
true  identity,  and  as  Werper  was  equally  anx 
ious  to  conceal  from  the  world  his  part  in  the 
destruction  of  his  host's  home  and  happiness, 
Mugambi  learned  nothing — at  least  in  this 
way. 

But  there  came  a  time  when  he  learned  a 
very  surprising  thing,  by  accident. 

The  party  had  camped  early  in  the  after 
noon  of  a  sultry  day,  upon  the  banks  of  a  clear 
and  beautiful  stream.  The  bottom  of  the  river 
was  gravelly,  there  was  no  indication  of  croco 
diles,  those  menaces  to  promiscuous  bathing  in 

189 


TABZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  QFAB 

the  rivers  of  certain  portions  of  the  dark  conti 
nent,  and  so  the  Abyssinians  took  advantage  of 
the  opportunity  to  perform  long-deferred,  and 
much  needed,  ablutions. 

As  Werper,  who,  with  Mugambi,  had  been 
given  permission  to  enter  the  water,  removed 
his  clothing,  the  black  noted  the  care  with  which 
he  unfastened  something  which  circled  his  waist, 
and  which  he  took  off  with  his  shirt,  keeping  the 
latter  always  around  and  concealing  the  object 
of  his  suspicious  solicitude. 

It  was  this  very  carefulness  which  attracted 
the  black's  attention  to  the  thing,  arousing  a 
natural  curiosity  in  the  warrior's  mind,  and  so 
it  chanced  that  when  the  Belgian,  in  the  ner 
vousness  of  overcaution,  fumbled  the  hidden  ar 
ticle  and  dropped  it,  Mugambi  saw  it  as  it  fell 
upon  the  ground,  spilling  a  portion  of  its  con 
tents  on  the  sward. 

Now  Mugambi  had  been  to  London  with  his 
master.  He  was  not  the  unsophisticated  sav 
age  that  his  apparel  proclaimed  him.  He  had 
mingled  with  the  cosmopolitan  hordes  of  the 
greatest  city  in  the  world;  he  had  visited  mu 
seums  and  inspected  shop  windows;  and,  be 
sides,  he  was  a  shrewd  and  intelligent  man. 

190 


THE  FLIGHT  OF  WEEPER 


The  instant  that  the  jewels  of  Opar  rolled, 
scintillating,  before  his  astonished  eyes,  he  rec 
ognized  them  for  what  they  were ;  but  he  recog 
nized  something  else,  too,  that  interested  him 
far  more  deeply  than  the  value  of  the  stones.  A 
thousand  times  he  had  seen  the  leathern  pouch 
which  dangled  at  his  master's  side,  when  Tar- 
zan  of  the  Apes  had,  in  a  spirit  of  play  and  ad 
venture,  elected  to  return  for  a  few  hours  to 
the  primitive  manners  and  customs  of  his  boy 
hood,  and  surrounded  by  his  naked  warriors 
hunt  the  lion  and  the  leopard,  the  buffalo  and 
the  elephant  after  the  manner  he  loved  best. 

Werper  saw  that  Mugambi  had  seen  the 
pouch  and  the  stones.  Hastily  he  gathered  up 
the  precious  gems  and  returned  them  to  their 
container,  while  Mugambi,  assuming  an  air  of 
indifference,  strolled  down  to  the  river  for  his 
bath. 

The  following  morning  Abdul  Mourak  was 
enraged  and  chagrined  to  discover  that  his 
huge,  black  prisoner  had  escaped  during  the 
night,  while  Werper  was  terrified  for  the  same 
reason,  until  his  trembling  fingers  discovered 
the  pouch  still  in  its  place  beneath  his  shirt, 
and  within  it  the  hard  outlines  of  its  contents. 

191 


CHAPTER  xvi 

TARZAN  AGAIN  LEADS  THE  MANGANI 

A2HMET  ZEK  with  two  of  his  followers  had 
circled  ,far  to  the  south  to  intercept  the 
flight  of  his  deserting  lieutenant,  Werper.  Oth 
ers  had  spread  out  in  various  directions,  so  that 
a  vast  circle  had  been  formed  by  them  during 
the  night,  and  now  they  were  beating  in  toward 
the  center. 

Achmet  and  the  two  with  him  halted  for  a 
short  rest  just  before  noon.  They  squatted 
beneath  the  trees  upon  the  southern  edge  of  a 
clearing.  The  chief  of  the  raiders  was  in  ill 
humor.  To  have  been  outwitted  by  an  unbe 
liever  was  bad  enough ;  but  to  have,  at  the  same 
time,  lost  the  jewels  upon  which  he  had  set  his 
avaricious  heart  was  altogether  too  much — Al 
lah  must,  indeed,  be  angry  with  his  servant. 

Well,  he  still  had  the  woman.  She  would 
bring  a  fair  price  in  the  north,  and  there  was, 
too,  the  buried  treasure  beside  the  ruins  of  the 
Englishman's  house. 

192 


TABZAN  AGAIN  LEADS  THE  MANGANI 

A  slight  noise  in  the  jungle  upon  the  opposite 
side  of  the  clearing  brought  Achmet  Zek  to 
immediate  and  alert  attention.  He  gathered 
his  rifle  in  readiness  for  instant  use,  at  the 
same  time  motioning  his  followers  to  silence 
and  concealment.  Crouching  behind  bushes  the 
three  waited,  their  eyes  fastened  upon  the  far 
side  of  the  open  space. 

Presently  the  foliage  parted  and  a  woman's 
face  appeared,  glancing  fearfully  from  side  to 
side.  A  moment  later,  evidently  satisfied  that 
no  immediate  danger  lurked  before  her,  she 
stepped  out  into  the  clearing  in  full  view  of 
the  Arab. 

Achmet  Zek  caught  his  breath  with  a;  mut 
tered  exclamation  of  incredulity  and  an  impre 
cation.  The  woman  was  the  prisoner  he  had 
thought  safely  guarded  at  his  camp ! 

Apparently  she  was  alone,  but  Achmet  Zek 
waited  that  he  might  make  sure  of  it  before 
seizing  her.  Slowly  Jane  Clayton  started 
across  the  clearing.  Twice  already  since  she 
had  quitted  the  village  of  the  raiders  had  she 
barely  escaped  the  fangs  of  carnivora,  and  once 
she  had  almost  stumbled  into  the  path  of  one 
of  the  searchers.  Though  she  was  almost  de- 

193 


TABZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  QPAR 

spairing  of  ever  reaching  safety  she  still  was 
determined  to  fight  on,  until  death  or  success 
terminated  her  endeavors. 

As  the  Arabs  watched  her  from  the  safety 
of  their  concealment,  and  Achmet  Zek  noted 
with  satisfaction  that  she  was  walking  directly 
into  his  clutches,  another  pair  of  eyes  looked 
down  upon  the  entire  scene  from  the  foliage  of 
an  adjacent  tree. 

Puzzled,  troubled  eyes  they  were,  for  all  their 
gray  and  savage  glint,  for  their  owner  was 
struggling  with  an  intangible  suggestion  of  the 
familiarity  of  the  face  and  figure  of  the  woman 
below  him. 

A  sudden  crashing  of  the  bushes  at  the  point 
from  which  Jane  Clayton  had  emerged  into  the 
clearing  brought  her  to  a  sudden  stop  and  at 
tracted  the  attention  of  the  Arabs  and  the 
watcher  in  the  tree  to  the  same  point. 

The  woman  wheeled  about  to  see  what  new 
danger  menaced  her  from  behind,  and  as  she 
did  so  a  great,  anthropoid  ape  waddled  into 
view.  Behind  him  came  another  and  another; 
but  Lady  Greystoke  did  not  wait  to  learn  how 
many  more  of  the  hideous  creatures  were  so 
close  upon  her  trail. 

194 


TABZAN  AGAIN  LEADS  THE  MANGANI 

With  a  smothered  scream  she  rushed  toward 
the  opposite  jungle,  and  as  she  reached  the 
bushes  there,  Achmet  Zek  and  his  two  hench 
men  rose  up  and  seized  her.  At  the  same  in 
stant  a  naked,  brown  giant  dropped  from  the 
branches  of  a  tree  at  the  right  of  the  clear 
ing. 

Turning  toward  the  astonished  apes  he  gave 
voice  to  a  short  volley  of  low  gutturals,  and 
without  waiting  to  note  the  effect  of  his  words 
upon  them,  wheeled  and  charged  for  the  Arabs. 

Achmet  Zek  was  dragging  Jane  Clayton 
toward  his  tethered  horse.  His  two  men  were 
hastily  unfastening  all  three  mounts.  The 
woman,  struggling  to  escape  the  Arab,  turned 
and  saw  the  ape-man  running  toward  her.  A 
glad  light  of  hope  illumined  her  face. 

"  John!  "  she  cried.  "  Thank  God  that  you 
have  come  in  time/' 

Behind  Tarzan  came  the  great  apes,  wonder 
ing,  but  obedient  to  his  summons.  The  Arabs 
saw  that  they  would  not  have  time  to  mount  and 
make  their  escape  before  the  beasts  and  the 
man  were  upon  them.  Achmet  Zek  recognized 
the  latter  as  the  redoubtable  enemy  of  such  as 
he,  and  he  saw  too  in  the  circumstance  an  op- 

195 


TAR2AN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

portunity  to  rid  himself  forever  of  the  menace 
of  the  ape-man's  presence. 

Calling  to  his  men  to  follow  his  example  he 
raised  his  rifle  and  leveled  it  upon  the  charg 
ing  giant.  His  followers,  acting  with  no  less 
alacrity  than  himself,  fired  almost  simulta 
neously,  and  with  the  reports  of  the  rifles,  Tar- 
zan  of  the  Apes  and  two  of  his  hairy  henchmen 
pitched  forward  among  the  jungle  grasses. 

The  noise  of  the  rifle  shots  brought  the  bal 
ance  of  the  apes  to  a  wondering  pause,  and,  tak 
ing  advantage  of  their  momentary  distraction, 
Achmet  Zek  and  his  fellows  leaped  to  their 
horses'  backs  and  galloped  away  with  the  now 
hopeless  and  grief-stricken  woman. 

Back  to  the  village  they  rode,  and  once  again 
Lady  Greystoke  found  herself  incarcerated  in 
the  filthy,  little  hut  from  which  she  had  thought 
to  have  escaped  for  good.  But  this  time  she 
was  not  only  guarded  by  an  additional  sentry, 
but  bound  as  well. 

Singly  and  in  twos  the  searchers  who  had 
ridden  out  with  Achmet  Zek  upon  the  trail  of 
the  Belgian,  returned  empty  handed.  With  the 
report  of  each  the  raider's  rage  and  chagrin 
increased,  until  he  was  in  such  a  transport  of 

196 


TARZAN  AGAIN  LEADS  THE  MAKGANI 

ferocious  anger  that  none  dared  approach  him. 
Threatening  and  cursing,  Achmet  Zek  paced 
up  and  down  the  floor  of  his  silken  tent;  but 
his  temper  served  him  naught — Werper  was 
gone  and  with  him  the  fortune  in  scintillating 
gems  which  had  aroused  the  cupidity  of  his 
chief  and  placed  the  sentence  of  death  upon  the 
head  of  the  lieutenant. 

With  the  escape  of  the  Arabs  the  great  apes 
had  turned  their  attention  to  their  fallen  com 
rades.  One  was  dead,  but  another  and  the 
great  white  ape  still  breathed.  The  hairy  mon 
sters  gathered  about  these  two,  grumbling  and 
muttering  after  the  fashion  of  their  kind. 

Tarzan  was  the  first  to  regain  consciousness. 
Sitting  up,  he  looked  about  him.  Blood  was 
flowing  from  a  wound  in  his  shoulder.  The 
shock  had  thrown  him  down  and  dazed  him ;  but 
he  was  far  from  dead.  Eising  slowly  to  his 
feet  he  let  his  eyes  wander  toward  the  spot 
where  test  he  had  seen  the  she,  who  had  aroused 
within  his  savage  breast  such  strange  emotions. 

"  Where  is  she?  "  he  asked. 

"The  Tarmangani  took  her  away/'  replied 
one  of  the  apes.  "  Who  are  you  who  speak  the 
language  of  the  Mangani?  " 

197 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

"I  am  Tarzan,"  replied  the  ape-man; 
"  mighty  hunter,  greatest  of  fighters.  When  I 
roar,  the  jungle  is  silent  and  trembles  with  ter 
ror.  I  am  Tarzan  of  the  Apes.  I  have  been 
away;  but  now  I  have  come  back  to  my  people. " 

"  Yes,"  spoke  up  an  old  ape,  "  he  is  Tarzan. 
I  know  him.  It  is  well  that  he  has  come  back. 
Now  we  shall  have  good  hunting." 

The  other  apes  came  closer  and  sniff ed  at  the 
ape-man.  Tarzan  stood  very  still,  his  fangs 
half  bared,  and  his  muscles  tense  and  ready  for 
action ;  but  there  was  none  there  to  question  his 
right  to  be  with  them,  and  presently,  the  inspec 
tion  satisfactorily  concluded,  the  apes  again  re 
turned  their  attention  to  the  other  survivor. 

He  too  was  but  slightly  wounded,  a  bullet, 
grazing  his  skull,  having  stunned  him,  so  that 
when  he  regained  consciousness  he  was  appar 
ently  as  fit  as  ever. 

The  apes  told  Tarzan  that  they  had  been  trav 
eling  toward  the  east  when  the  scent  spoor  of 
the  she  had  attracted  them  and  they  had  stalked 
her.  Now  they  wished  to  continue  upon  their  in 
terrupted  march;  but  Tarzan  preferred  to  fol 
low  the  Arabs  and  take  the  woman  from  them. 
After  a  considerable  argument  it  was  decided 

198 


TABZAN  AGAIN  LEAPS  THE  MANGANI 

that  they  should  first  hunt  toward  the  east  for 
a  few  days  and  then  return  and  search  for  the 
Arabs,  and  as  time  is  of  little  moment  to  the 
ape  folk,  Tarzan  acceded  to  their  demands,  he, 
himself,  having  reverted  to  a  mental  state  but 
little  superior  to  their  own. 

Another  circumstance  which  decided  him  to 
postpone  pursuit  of  the  Arabs  was  the  painful- 
ness  of  his  wound.  It  would  be  better  to  wait 
until  that  had  healed  before  he  pitted  himself 
again  against  the  guns  of  the  Tarmangani. 

And  so,  as  Jane  Clayton  was  pushed  into  her 
prison  hut  and  her  hands  and  feet  securely 
bound,  her  natural  protector  roamed  off  toward 
the  east  in  company  with  a  score  of  hairy  mon 
sters,  with  whom  he  rubbed  shoulders  as  fa 
miliarly  as  a  few  months  before  he  had  min 
gled  with  his  immaculate  fellow-members  of  one 
of  London's  most  select  and  exclusive  clubs. 

But  all  the  time  there  lurked  in  the  back  of 
his  injured  brain  a  troublesome  conviction  that 
he  had  no  business  where  he  was — that  he 
should  be,  for  some  unaccountable  reason,  else 
where  and  among  another  sort  of  creature. 
Also,  there  was  the  compelling  urge  to  be  upon 
the  scent  of  the  Arabs,  undertaking  the  rescue 

199 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

of  the  woman  who  had  appealed  so  strongly  to 
his  savage  sentiments;  though  the  thought- 
word  which  naturally  occurred  to  him  in  the 
contemplation  of  the  venture,  was  "  capture, " 
rather  than  "  rescue." 

To  him  she  was  as  any  other  jungle  she,  and 
he  had  set  his  heart  upon  her  as  his  mate.  For 
an  instant,  as  he  had  approached  closer  to  her 
in  the  clearing  where  the  Arabs  had  seized  her, 
the  subtle  aroma  which  had  first  aroused  his 
desires  in  the  hut  that  had  imprisoned  her  had 
fallen  upon  his  nostrils,  and  told  him  that  he 
had  found  the  creature  for  whom  he  had  de 
veloped  so  sudden  and  inexplicable  a  passion. 

The  matter  of  the  pouch  of  jewels  also  oc 
cupied  his  thoughts  to  some  extent,  so  that  he 
found  a  double  urge  for  his  return  to  the  oamp 
of  the  raiders.  He  would  obtain  possession  of 
both  his  pretty  pebbles  and  the  she.  Then  he 
would  return  to  the  great  apes  with  his  new 
mate  and  his  baubles,  and  leading  his  hairy 
companions  into  a  far  wilderness  beyond  the 
ken  of  man,  live  out  his  life,  hunting  and  bat 
tling  among  the  lower  orders  after  the  only 
manner  which  he  now  recollected. 

He  spoke  to  his  fellow-apes  upon  the  mat- 
200 


TAItZAN  AGAIN  LEADS  THE  MANGANI 

ter,  in  an  attempt  to  persuade  them  to  accom 
pany  him;  but  all  except  Taglat  and  Ghulk 
refused.  The  latter  was  young  and  strong, 
endowed  with  a  greater  intelligence  than  his 
fellows,  and  therefore  the  possessor  of  better 
developed  powers  of  imagination.  To  him  the 
expedition  savored  of  adventure,  and  so  ap 
pealed,  strongly.  With  Taglat  there  was  an 
other  incentive — a  secret  and  sinister  incen 
tive,  which,  had  Tarzan  of  the  Apes  had  knowl 
edge  of  it,  would  have  sent  him  at  the  other's 
throat  in  jealous  rage. 

Taglat  was  no  longer  young;  but  he  was  still 
a  formidable  beast,  mightily  muscled,  cruel,  and, 
because  of  his  greater  experience,  crafty  and 
cunning.  Too,  he  was  of  giant  proportions,  the 
very  weight  of  his  huge  bulk  serving  ofttimes 
to  discount  in  his  favor  the  superior  agility  of 
a  younger  antagonist. 

He  was  of  a  morose  and  sullen  disposition 
that  marked  him  even  among  his  frowning  fel 
lows,  where  such  characteristics  are  the  rule 
rather  than  the  exception,  and,  though  Tarzan 
did  not  guess  it,  he  hated  the  ape-man  with  a 
ferocity  that  he  was  able  to  hide  only  because 
the  dominant  spirit  of  the  nobler  creature  had 

201 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

inspired  within  him  a  species  of  dread  which 
was  as  powerful  as  it  was  inexplicable  to  him. 

These  two,  then,  were  to  be  Tarzan  >s  com 
panions  upon  his  return  to  the  village  of  Ach- 
met  Zek.  As  they  set  off,  the  balance  of  the 
tribe  vouchsafed  them  but  a  parting  stare,  and 
then  resumed  the  serious  business  of  feeding. 

Tarzan  found  difficulty  in  keeping  the 
minds  of  his  fellows  set  upon  the  purpose  of 
their  adventure,  for  the  mind  of  an  ape  lacks 
the  power  of  long-sustained  concentration.  To 
set  out  upon  a  long  journey,  with  a  definite  des 
tination  in  view,  is  one  thing,  to  remember  that 
purpose  and  keep  it  uppermost  in  one's  mind 
continually  is  quite  another.  There  are  so 
many  things  to  distract  one's  attention  along 
the  way. 

Chulk  was,  at  first,  for  rushing  rapidly  ahead 
as  though  the  village  of  the  raiders  lay  but  an 
hour's  march  before  them  instead  of  several 
days;  but  within  a  few  minutes  a  fallen  tree 
attracted  his  attention  with  its  suggestion  of 
rich  and  succulent  forage  beneath,  and  when 
Tarzan,  missing  him,  returned  in  search,  he 
found  Chulk  squatting  beside  the  rotting  bole, 
from  beneath  which  he  was  assiduously  en- 

202 


TARZAN  AGAIN  LEADS  THE  MANGANI 

gaged  in  digging  out  the  grubs  and  beetles, 
whose  kind  form  a  considerable  proportion  of 
the  diet  of  the  apes. 

Unless  Tarzan  desired  to  fight  there  was 
nothing  to  do  but  wait  until  Chulk  had  ex 
hausted  the  storehouse,  and  this  he  did,  only 
to  discover  that  Taglat  was  now  missing.  After 
a  considerable  search,  he  found  that  worthy 
gentleman  contemplating  the  sufferings  of  an 
injured  rodent  he  had  pounced  upon.  He  would 
sit  in  apparent  indifference,  gazing  in  another 
direction,  while  the  crippled  creature  wriggled 
slowly  and  painfully  away  from  him,  and  then, 
just  as  his  victim  felt  assured  of  escape,  he 
would  reach  out  a  giant  palm  and  slam  it  down 
upon  the  fugitive.  Again  and  again  he  re 
peated  this  operation,  until,  tiring  of  the  sport, 
he  ended  the  sufferings  of  his  plaything  by  de 
vouring  it. 

Such  were  the  exasperating  causes  of  de 
lay  which  retarded  Tarzan 's  return  journey 
toward  the  village  of  Achmet  Zek ;  but  the  ape- 
man  was  patient,  for  in  his  mind  was  a  plan 
which  necessitated  the  presence  of  Chulk  and 
Taglat  when  he  should  have  arrived  at  his  des 
tination. 

203 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

It  was  not  always  an  easy  thing  to  maintain 
in  the  vacillating  minds  of  the  anthropoids  a 
sustained  interest  in  their  venture.  Chulk  was 
wearying  of  the  continued  marching  and  the  in- 
frequency  and  short  duration  of  the  rests.  He 
would  gladly  have  abandoned  this  search  for 
adventure  had  not  Tarzan  continually  filled 
his  mind  with  alluring  pictures  of  the  great 
stores  of  food  which  were  to  be  found  in  the 
village  of  the  Tarmangani. 

Taglat  nursed  his  secret  purpose  to  better 
advantage  than  might  have  been  expected  of 
an  ape,  yet  there  were  times  when  he,  too, 
would  have  abandoned  the  adventure  had  not 
Tarzan  cajoled  him  on. 

It  was  mid-afternoon  of  a  sultry,  tropical 
day  when  the  keen  senses  of  the  three  warned 
them  of  the  proximity  of  the  Arab  camp. 
Stealthily  they  approached,  keeping  to  the 
dense  tangle  of  growing  things  which  made  con 
cealment  easy  to  their  uncanny  jungle  craft. 

First  came  the  giant  ape-man,  his  smooth, 
brown  skin  glistening  with  the  sweat  of  exer 
tion  in  the  close,  hot  confines  of  the  jungle.  Be 
hind  him  crept  Chulk  and  Taglat,  grotesque  and 
shaggy  caricatures  of  their  godlike  leader. 

204 


Behind  him  crept  Chulk  and  Taglat 


_™. 


TARZAN  AGAIN  LEADS  THE  MANGANI 

Silently  they  made  their  way  to  the  edge  of 
the  clearing  which  surrounded  the  palisade,  and 
here  they  clambered  into  the  lower  branches  of 
a  large  tree  overlooking  the  village  occupied  by 
the  enemy,  the  better  to  spy  upon  his  goings 
and  comings. 

A  horseman,  white  burnoosed,  rode  out 
through  the  gateway  of  the  village.  Tarzan, 
whispering  to  Chulk  and  Taglat  to  remain 
where  they  were,  swung,  monkey-like,  through 
the  trees  in  the  direction  of  the  trail  the  Arab 
was  riding.  From  one  jungle  giant  to  the  next 
he  sped  with  the  rapidity  of  a  squirrel  and  the 
silence  of  a  ghost. 

The  Arab  rode  slowly  onward,  unconscious 
of  the  danger  hovering  in  the  trees  behind  him. 
The  ape-man  made  a  slight  detour  and  in 
creased  his  speed  until  he  had  reached  a  point 
upon  the  trail  in  advance  of  the  horseman.  Here 
he  halted  upon  a  leafy  bough  which  overhung 
the  narrow,  jungle  trail.  On  came  the  victim, 
humming  a  wild  air  of  the  great  desert  land  of 
the  north.  Above  him  poised  the  savage  brute 
that  was  today  bent  upon  the  destruction  of  a 
human  life  —  the  same  creature  who  a  few 
months  before,  had  occupied  his  seat  in  the 

205 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  QPAE, 

House  of  Lords  at  London,  a  respected  and 
distinguished  member  of  that  august  body. 

The  Arab  passed  beneath  the  overhanging 
bough,  there  was  a  slight  rustling  of  the  leaves 
above,  the  horse  snorted  and  plunged  as  a 
brown-skinned  creature  dropped  upon  its  rump. 
A  pair  of  mighty  arms  encircled  the  Arab  and 
he  was  dragged  from  his  saddle  to  the  trail. 

Ten  minutes  later  the  ape-man,  carrying  the 
outer  garments  of  an  Arab  bundled  beneath  an 
arm,  rejoined  his  companions.  He  exhibited 
his  trophies  to  them,  explaining  in  low  gut- 
terals  the  details  of  his  exploit.  Chulk  and 
Taglat  fingered  the  fabrics,  smelled  of  them, 
and,  placing  them  to  their  ears,  tried  to  listen 
to  them. 

Then  Tarzan  led  them  back  through  the  jun 
gle  to  the  trail,  where  the  three  hid  themselves 
and  waited.  Nor  had  they  long  to  wait  before 
two  of  Achmet  Zek's  blacks,  clothed  in  habili 
ments  similar  to  their  master's,  came  down 
the  trail  on  foot,  returning  to  the  camp. 

One  moment  they  were  laughing  and  talking 
together — the  next  they  lay  stretched  in  death 
upon  the  trail,  three  mighty  engines  of  de 
struction  bending  over  them.  Tarzan  removed 

206 


TARZAN  AOAIN  LEADS  THE  MANGANI 

their  outer  garments  as  he  had  removed  those 
of  his  first  victim,  and  again  retired  with  Chulk 
and  Taglat  to  the  greater  seclusion  of  the  tree 
they  had  first  selected. 

Here  the  ape-man  arranged  the  garments 
upon  his  shaggy  fellows  and  himself,  until,  at 
a  distance,  it  might  have  appeared  that  three 
white-robed  Arabs  squatted  silently  among  the 
branches  of  the  forest. 

Until  dark  they  remained  where  they  were, 
for  from  his  point  of  vantage,  Tarzan  could 
view  the  enclosure  within  the  palisade.  He 
marked  the  position  of  the  hut  in  which  he  had 
first  discovered  the  scent  spoor  of  the  she  he 
sought.  He  saw  the  two  sentries  standing  be 
fore  its  doorway,  and  he  located  the  habitation 
of  Achmet  Zek,  where  something  told  him  he 
would  most  likely  find  his  missing  pouch  and 
pebbles. 

Chulk  and  Taglat  were,  at  first,  greatly  in 
terested  in  their  wonderful  raiment.  They  fin 
gered  the  fabric,  smelled  of  it,  and  regarded 
each  other  intently  with  every  mark  of  satis 
faction  and  pride.  Chulk,  a  humorist  in  his 
way,  stretched  forth  a  long  and  hairy  arm,  and 
grasping  the  hood  of  Taglat  '&  burnoose  pulled 

207 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

it  down  over  the  latter 's  eyes,  extinguishing 
him,  snuffer-like,  as  it  were. 

The  older  ape,  pessimistic  by  nature,  recog 
nized  no  such  thing  as  humor.  Creatures  laid 
their  paws  upon  him  for  but  two  things — to 
search  for  fleas  and  to  attack.  The  pulling  of 
the  Tarmangani-scented  thing  about  his  head 
and  eyes  could  not  be  for  the  performance  of 
the  former  act;  therefore  it  must  be  the  lat 
ter.  He  was  attacked!  Chulk  had  attacked 
him. 

With  a  snarl  he  was  at  the  other's  throat,  not 
even  waiting  to  lift  the  woolen  veil  which  ob 
scured  his  vision.  Tarzan  leaped  upon  the  two, 
and  swaying  and  toppling  upon  their  insecure 
pereh  the  three  great  beasts  tussled  and 
snapped  at  one  another  until  the  ape-man 
finally  succeeded  in  separating  the  enraged 
anthropoids. 

As  apology  is  unknown  to  these  savage  pro 
genitors  of  man,  and  explanation  a  laborious 
and  usually  futile  process,  Tarzan  bridged  the 
dangerous  gulf  by  distracting  their  attention 
from  their  altercation  to  a  consideration  of 
their  plans  for  the  immediate  future.  Accus 
tomed  to  frequent  arguments  in  which  more 

208 


TABZAN  AGAIN  LEAPS  THE  MAKGANI 

hair  than  blood  is  wasted,  the  apes  speedily  for 
get  such  trivial  encounters,  and  presently  Chulk 
and  Taglat  were  again  squatting  in  close  prox 
imity  to  each  other  and  peaceful  repose,  await 
ing  the  moment  when  the  ape-man  should  lead 
them  into  the  village  of  the  Tarmangani. 

It  was  long  after  darkness  had  fallen,  that 
Tarzan  led  his  companions  from  their  hiding 
place  in  the  tree  to  the  ground  and  around 
the  palisade  to  the  far  side  of  the  village. 

Gathering  the  skirts  of  his  burnoose,  beneath 
one  arm,  that  his  legs  might  have  free  action, 
the  ape-man  took  a  short  running  start,  and 
scrambled  to  the  top  of  the  barrier.  Fearing 
lest  the  apes  should  rend  their  garments  to 
shreds  in  a  similar  attempt,  he  had  directed 
them  to  wait  below  for  him,  and  himself  se 
curely  perched  upon  the  summit  of  the  pali 
sade  he  unslung  his  spear  and  lowered  one  end 
of  it  to  Chulk. 

The  ape  seized  it,  and  while  Tarzan  held 
tightly  to  the  upper  end,  the  anthropoid 
climbed  quickly  up  the  shaft  until  with  one 
paw  he  grasped  the  top  of  the  wall.  To  scram 
ble  then  to  Tarzan 's  side  was  the  work  of  but 
an  instant.  In  like  manner  Taglat  was  con- 

209 


TABZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

ducted  to  their  sides,  and  a  moment  later  the 
three  dropped  silently  within  the  enclosure. 

Tarzan  led  them  first  to  the  rear  of  the  hut 
in  which  Jane  Clayton  was  confined,  where, 
through  the  roughly  repaired  aperture  in  the 
wall,  he  sought  with  his  sensitive  nostrils  for 
proof  that  the  she  he  had  come  for  was  within. 

Chulk  and  Taglat,  their  hairy  faces  pressed 
close  to  that  of  the  patrician,  sniffed  with  him. 
Each  caught  the  scent  spoor  of  the  woman 
within,  and  each  reacted  according  to  his  tem 
perament  and  his  habits  of  thought. 

It  left  Chulk  indifferent.  The  she  was  for 
Tarzan — all  that  he  desired  was  to  bury  his 
snout  in  the  foodstuffs  of  the  Tarmangani.  He 
had  come  to  eat  his  fill  without  labor — Tarzan 
had  told  him  that  that  should  be  his  reward, 
and  he  was  satisfied. 

But  Taglat 's  wicked,  bloodshot  eyes,  nar 
rowed  to  the  realization  of  the  nearing  fulfill 
ment  of  his  carefully  nursed  plan.  It  is  true 
that  sometimes  during  the  several  days  that  had 
elapsed  since  they  had  set  out  upon  their  expe 
dition  it  had  been  difficult  for  Taglat  to  hold 
his  idea  uppermost  in  his  mind,  and  on  sev 
eral  occasions  he  had  completely  forgotten  it, 

210 


TABZAN  AGAIN  LEADS  THE  MANGANI 

until  Tarzan,  by  a  chance  word,  had  recalled 
it  to  him,  but,  for  an  ape,  Taglat  had  done 
well. 

Now,  he  licked  his  chops,  and  made  a  sick 
ening,  sucking  noise  with  his  flabby  lips  as  he 
drew  in  his  breath. 

Satisfied  that  the  she  was  where  he  had  hoped 
to  find  her,  Tarzan  led  his  apes  toward  the  tent 
of  Achmet  Zek.  A  passing  Arab  and  two  slaves 
saw  them,  but  the  night  was  dark  and  the  white 
burnooses  hid  the  hairy  limbs  of  the  apes  and 
the  giant  figure  of  their  leader,  so  that  the  three, 
by  squatting  down  as  though  in  conversation, 
were  passed  by,  unsuspected.  To  the  rear  of 
the  tent  they  made  their  way.  Within,  Achmet 
Zek  conversed  with  several  of  his  lieutenants. 
Without,  Tarzan  listened. 


211 


CHAPTER  XVH 

THE  DEADLY  PERIL  OF  JANE  CLAYTON 

LIEUTENANT  ALBERT  WEEPER,  terri 
fied  by  contemplation  of  the  fate  which 
might  await  him  at  Adis  Abeba,  cast  about  for 
some  scheme  of  escape,  but  after  the  black 
Mugambi  had  eluded  their  vigilance  the  Abys- 
sinians  redoubled  their  precautions  to  prevent 
Werper  following  the  lead  of  the  negro. 

For  some  time  Werper  entertained  the  idea 
of  bribing  Abdul  Mourak  with  a  portion  of  the 
contents  of  the  pouch ;  but  fearing  that  the  man 
would  demand  all  the  gems  as  the  price  of 
liberty,  the  Belgian,  influenced  by  avarice, 
sought  another  avenue  from  his  dilemma. 

It  was  then  that  there  dawned  upon  him  the 
possibility  of  the  success  of  a  different  course 
which  would  still  leave  him  in  possession  of  the 
jewels,  while  at  the  same  time  satisfying  the 
greed  of  the  Abyssinian  with  the  conviction 
that  he  had  obtained  all  that  Werper  had  to 
offer. 

212 


THE  DEADLY  PERIL  OF  JANE  CLAYTON 

And  so  it  was  that  a  day  or  so  after  Mugambi 
had  disappeared,  Werper  asked  for  an  audi 
ence  with  Abdul  Mourak.  As  the  Belgian  en 
tered  the  presence  of  his  oaptor  the  scowl  upon 
the  features  of  the  latter  boded  ill  for  any  hope 
which  Werper  might  entertain,  still  he  fortified 
himself  by  recalling  the  common  weakness  of 
mankind,  which  permits  the  most  inflexible  of 
natures  to  bend  to  the  consuming  desire  for 
wealth. 

Abdul  Mourak  eyed  him,  frowningly.  "  What 
do  you  want  now?  "  he  asked. 

"My  liberty,"  replied  Werper. 

The  Abyssinian  sneered.  ' '  And  you  dis 
turbed  me  thus  to  tell  me  what  any  fool  might 
know,"  he  said. 

"I  can  pay  for  it,"  said  Werper. 

Abdul  Mourak  laughed  loudly.  "Pay  for 
it  I"  he  cried.  "What  with — the  rags  that 
you  have  upon  your  back?  Or,  perhaps  you 
are  concealing  beneath  your  coat  a  thousand 
pounds  of  ivory.  Get  out!  You  are  a  fool. 
Do  not  bother  me  again  or  I  shall  have  you 
whipped." 

But  Werper  persisted.  His  liberty  and  per 
haps  his  life  depended  upon  his  success. 

213 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

"  Listen  to  me,"  he  pleaded.  "  If  I  can  give 
yon  as  much  gold  as  ten  men  may  carry  will 
you  promise  that  I  shall  be  conducted  in  safety 
to  the  nearest  English  commissioner?  " 

"  As  much  gold  as  ten  men  may  carry!  "  re 
peated  Abdul  Mourak.  "  You  are  crazy.  Where 
have  you  so  much  gold  as  that  I  " 

"  I  know  where  it  is  hid,"  said  Wer- 
per.  "  Promise,  and  I  will  lead  you  to  it — if 
ten  loads  is  enough!  " 

Abdul  Mourak  had  ceased  to  laugh.  He  was 
eyeing  the  Belgian  intently.  The  fellow  seemed 
sane  enough — yet  ten  loads  of  gold!  It  was 
preposterous.  The  Abyssinian  thought  in  si 
lence  for  a  moment. 

"  Well,  and  if  I  promise,"  he  said.  "How 
far  is  this  gold!  " 

"  A  long  week's  march  to  the  south,"  replied 
Werper. 

"  And  if  we  do  not  find  it  where  you  say  it 
is,  do  you  realize  what  your  punishment  will 
be!" 

' '  If  it  is  not  there  I  will  forfeit  my  life,"  re 
plied  the  Belgian.  "  I  know  it  is  there,  for  I 
saw  it  buried  with  my  own  eyes.  And  more  — 
there  are  not  only  ten  loads,  but  as  many  as 

214 


THE  DEADLY  PERIL  OF  JANE  CLAYTON 

fifty  men  may  carry.  It  is  all  yours  if  you  will 
promise  to  see  me  safely  delivered  into  the  pro 
tection  of  the  English. " 

"  You  will  stake  your  life  against  the  finding 
of  the  gold?  "  asked  Abdul. 

Werper  assented  with  a  nod. 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  Abyssinian,  "  I  prom 
ise,  and  even  if  there  be  but  five  loads  you  shall 
have  your  freedom ;  but  until  the  gold  is  in  my 
possession  you  remain  a  prisoner." 

"  I  am  satisfied,"  said  Werper.  "  Tomorrow 
we  start?  " 

Abdul  Mourak  nodded,  and  the  Belgian  re 
turned  to  his  guards.  The  following  day  the 
Abyssinian  soldiers  were  surprised  to  receive 
an  order  which  turned  their  faces  from  the 
northeast  to  the  south.  And  so  it  happened 
that  upon  the  very  night  that  Tarzan  and  the 
two  apes  entered  the  village  of  the  raiders,  the 
Abyssinians  camped  but  a  few  miles  to  the  east 
of  the  same  spot. 

While  Werper  dreamed  of  freedom  and  the 
unmolested  enjoyment  of  the  fortune  in  his 
stolen  pouch,  and  Abdul  Mourak  lay  awake  in 
greedy  contemplation  of  the  fifty  loads  of  gold 
which  lay  but  a  few  days  farther  to  the  south 

215 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

of  him,  Achmet  Zek  gave  orders  to  his  lieuten 
ants  that  they  should  prepare  a  force  of  fight 
ing  men  and  carriers  to  proceed  to  the  ruins  of 
the  Englishman's  douar  on  the  morrow  and 
bring  back  the  fabulous  fortune  which  his  rene 
gade  lieutenant  had  told  him  was  buried  there. 

And  as  he  delivered  his  instructions  to  those 
within,  a  silent  listener  crouched  without  his 
tent,  waiting  for  the  time  when  he  might  enter 
in  safety  and  prosecute  his  search  for  the  miss 
ing  pouch  and  the  pretty  pebbles  that  had 
caught  his  fancy. 

At  last  the  swarthy  companions  of  Achmet 
Zek  quitted  his  tent,  and  the  leader  went  with 
them  to  smoke  a  pipe  with  one  of  their  num 
ber,  leaving  his  own  silken  habitation  un 
guarded.  Scarcely  had  they  left  the  interior 
when  a  knife  blade  was  thrust  through  the 
fabric  of  the  rear  wall,  some  six  feet  above 
the  ground,  and  a  swift  downward  stroke 
opened  an  entrance  to  those  who  waited  be 
yond. 

Through  the  opening  stepped  the  ape-man, 
and  close  behind  him  came  the  huge  Chulk;  but 
Taglat  did  not  follow  them.  Instead  he  turned 
and  slunk  through  the  darkness  toward  the  hut 

216 


THE  DEADLY  PERIL  OF  JANE  CLAYTON 

where  the  she  who  had  arrested  his  brutish  in 
terest  lay  securely  bound.  Before  the  door 
way  the  sentries  sat  upon  their  haunches,  con 
versing  in  monotones.  Within,  the  young 
woman  lay  upon  a  filthy  sleeping  mat,  resigned, 
through  utter  hopelessness  to  whatever  fate 
lay  in  store  for  her  until  the  opportunity  ar 
rived  which  would  permit  her  to  free  herself 
by  the  only  means  which  now  seemed  even  re 
motely  possible — the  hitherto  detested  act  of 
self-destruction. 

Creeping  silently  toward  the  sentries,  a 
white-burnoosed  figure  approached  the  shad 
ows  at  one  end  of  the  hut.  The  meager  intellect 
of  the  creature  denied  it  the  advantage  it  might 
have  taken  of  its  disguise.  Where  it  could 
have  walked  boldly  to  the  very  sides  of  the 
sentries,  it  chose  rather  to  sneak  upon  them, 
unseen,  from  the  rear. 

It  came  to  the  corner  of  the  hut  and  peered 
around.  The  sentries  were  but  a  few  paces 
away;  but  the  ape  did  not  dare  expose  himself, 
even  for  an  instant,  to  those  feared  and  hated 
thunder-sticks  which  the  Tarmangani  knew  so 
well  how  to  use,  if  there  were  another  and  safer 
method  of  attack. 

217 


TABZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

Taglat  wished  that  there  was  a  tree  nearby 
from  the  overhanging  branches  of  which  he 
might  spring  upon  his  unsuspecting  prey;  but, 
though  there  was  no  tree,  the  idea  gave  birth 
to  a  plan.  The  eaves  of  the  hut  were  just  above 
the  heads  of  the  sentries — from  them  he  could 
leap  upon  the  Tarmangani,  unseen.  A  quick 
snap  of  those  mighty  jaws  would  dispose  of  one 
of  them  before  the  other  realized  that  they  were 
attacked,  and  the  second  would  fall  an  easy 
prey  to  the  strength,  agility  and  ferocity  of  a 
second  quick  charge. 

Taglat  withdrew  a  few  paces  to  the  rear  of 
the  hut,  gathered  himself  for  the  effort,  ran 
quickly  forward  and  leaped  high  into  the  air. 
He  struck  the  roof  directly  above  the  rear  wall 
of  the  hut,  and  the  structure,  reinforced  by  the 
wall  beneath,  held  his  enormous  weight  for  an 
instant,  then  he  moved  forward  a  step,  the 
roof  sagged,  the  thatching  parted  and  the  great 
anthropoid  shot  through  into  the  interior. 

The  sentries,  hearing  the  crashing  of  the  roof 
poles,  leaped  to  their  feet  and  rushed  into  the 
hut.  Jane  Clayton  tried  to  roll  aside  as  the 
great  form  lit  upon  the  floor  so  close  to  her 
that  one  foot  pinned  her  clothing  to  the  ground. 

218 


THE  DEADLY  PERIL  OF  JANE  CLAYTON 

The  ape,  feeling  the  movement  beside  him, 
reached  down  and  gathered  the  girl  in  the  hol 
low  of  one  mighty  arm.  The  burnoose  covered 
the  hairy  body  so  that  Jane  Clayton  believed 
that  a  human  arm  supported  her,  and  from  the 
extremity  of  hopelessness  a  great  hope  sprang 
into  her  breast  that  at  last  she  was  in  the  keep 
ing  of  a  rescuer. 

The  two  sentries  were  now  within  the  hut, 
but  hesitating  because  of  doubt  as  to  the  nature 
of  the  cause  of  the  disturbance.  Their  eyes,  not 
yet  accustomed  to  the  darkness  of  the  interior, 
told  them  nothing,  nor  did  they  hear  any  sound, 
for  the  ape  stood  silently  awaiting  their  attack. 

Seeing  that  they  stood  without  advancing, 
and  realizing  that,  handicapped  as  he  was  by 
the  weight  of  the  she,  he  could  put  up  but 
a  poor  battle,  Taglat  elected  to  risk  a  sudden 
break  for  liberty.  Lowering  his  head,  he 
charged  straight  for  the  two  sentries  who 
blocked  the  doorway.  The  impact  of  his  mighty 
shoulders  bowled  them  over  upon  their  backs, 
and  before  they  could  scramble  to  their  feet, 
the  ape  was  gone,  darting  in  the  shadows  of 
the  huts  toward  the  palisade  at  the  far  end  of 
the  village. 

219 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

The  speed  and  strength  of  her  rescuer  filled 
Jane  Clayton  with  wonder.  Could  it  be  that 
Tarzan  had  survived  the  bullet  of  the  Arab? 
Who  else  in  all  the  jungle  could  bear  the  weight 
of  a  grown  woman  as  lightly  as  he  who  held 
her?  She  spoke  his  name;  but  there  was  no  re 
sponse.  Still  she  did  not  give  up  hope. 

At  the  palisade  the  beast  did  not  even  hesi 
tate.  A  single  mighty  leap  carried  it  to  the 
top,  where  it  poised  but  for  an  instant  before 
dropping  to  the  ground  upon  the  opposite  side. 
Now  the  girl  was  almost  positive  that  she  was 
safe  in  the  arms  of  her  husband,  and  when  the 
ape  took  to  the  trees  and  bore  her  swiftly  into 
the  jungle,  as  Tarzan  had  done  at  other  times 
in  the  past,  belief  became  conviction. 

In  a  little  moonlit  glade,  a  mile  or  so  from 
the  camp  of  the  raiders,  her  rescuer  halted  and 
dropped  her  to  the  ground.  His  roughness  sur 
prised  her,  but  still  she  had  no  doubts.  Again 
she  called  him  by  name,  and  at  the  same  instant 
the  ape,  fretting  under  the  restraints  of  the 
unaccustomed  garments  of  the  Tarmangani, 
tore  the  burnoose  from  him,  revealing  to  the 
eyes  of  the  horror-struck  woman  the  hideous 
face  and  hairy  form  of  a  giant  anthropoid. 

220 


THE  DEADLY  PERIL  OF  JANE  CLAYTON 

With  a  piteous  wail  of  terror,  Jane  Clayton 
swooned,  while,  from  the  concealment  of  a 
nearby  bush,  Numa,  the  lion,  eyed  the  pair  hun 
grily  and  licked  his  chops. 

Tarzan,  entering  the  tent  of  Achmet  Zek, 
searched  the  interior  thoroughly.  He  tore  the 
bed  to  pieces  and  scattered  the  contents  of  box 
and  bag  about  the  floor.  He  investigated  what 
ever  his  eyes  discovered,  nor  did  those  keen 
organs  overlook  a  single  article  within  the  habi 
tation  of  the  raider  chief;  but  no  pouch  or 
pretty  pebbles  rewarded  his  thoroughness. 

Satisfied  at  last  that  his  belongings  were 
not  in  the  possession  of  Achmet  Zek,  unless 
they  were  on  the  person  of  the  chief  himself, 
Tarzan  decided  to  secure  the  person  of  the  she 
before  further  prosecuting  his  search  for  the 
pouch. 

Motioning  for  Chulk  to  follow  him,  he  passed 
out  of  the  tent  by  the  same  way  that  he  had 
entered  it,  and  walking  boldly  through  the  vil 
lage,  made  directly  for  the  hut  where  Jane 
Clayton  had  been  imprisoned. 

He  noted  with  surprise  the  absence  of  Taglat, 
whom  he  had  expected  to  find  awaiting  him  out- 

221 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

side  the  tent  of  Achmet  Zek;  but,  accustomed 
as  he  was  to  the  unreliability  of  apes,  he  gave 
no  serious  attention  to  the  present  defection 
of  his  surly  companion.  So  long  as  Taglat  did 
not  cause  interference  with  his  plans,  Tarzan 
was  indifferent  to  his  absence. 

As  he  approached  the  hut,  the  ape-man  no 
ticed  that  a  crowd  had  collected  about  the  en 
trance.  He  could  see  that  the  men  who  com 
posed  it  were  much  excited,  and  fearing  lest 
Chulk's  disguise  should  prove  inadequate  to 
the  concealment  of  his  true  identity  in  the  face 
of  so  many  observers,  he  commanded  the  ape 
to  betake  himself  to  the  far  end  of  the  village, 
and  there  await  him. 

As  Chulk  waddled  off,  keeping  to  the  shad 
ows,  Tarzan  advanced  boldly  toward  the  ex 
cited  group  before  the  doorway  of  the  hut.  He 
mingled  with  the  blacks  and  Arabs  in  an  en 
deavor  to  learn  the  cause  of  the  commotion,  in 
his  interest  forgetting  that  he  alone  of  the  as 
semblage  carried  a  spear,  a  bow  and  arrows, 
and  thus  might  become  an  object  of  suspicious 
attention. 

Shouldering  his  way  through  the  crowd  he 
approached  the  doorway,  and  had  almost 

222 


THE  DEADLY  PERIL  OF  JANE  CLAYTON 

reached  it  when  one  of  the  Arabs  laid  a  hand 
upon  his  shoulder,  crying:  "  Who  is  this?  "  at 
the  same  time  snatching  back  the  hood  from  the 
ape-man's  face. 

Tarzan  of  the  Apes  in  all  his  savage  life  had 
never  been  accustomed  to  pause  in  argument 
with  an  antagonist.  The  primitive  instinct  of 
self-preservation  acknowledges  many  arts  and 
wiles;  but  argument  is  not  one  of  them,  nor 
did  he  now  waste  precious  time  in  an  attempt 
to  convince  the  raiders  that  he  was  not  a  wolf 
in  sheep's  clothing.  Instead  he  had  his  un- 
masker  by  the  throat  ere  the  man's  words 
had  scarce  quitted  his  lips,  and  hurling  him 
from  side  to  side  brushed  away  those  who  would 
have  swarmed  upon  him. 

Using  the  Arab  as  a  weapon,  Tarzan  forced 
his  way  quickly  to  the  doorway,  and  a  moment 
later  was  within  the  hut.  A  hasty  examination 
revealed  the  fact  that  it  was  empty,  and  his 
sense  of  smell  discovered,  too,  the  scent  spoor 
of  Taglat,  the  ape.  Tarzan  uttered  a  low,  omi 
nous  growl.  Those  who  were  pressing  forward 
at  the  doorway  to  seize  him,  fell  back  as  the 
savage  notes  of  the  bestial  challenge  smote  upon 
their  ears.  They  looked  at  one  another  in  sur- 

223 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAE 


prise  and  consternation.  A  man  had  entered 
the  hut  alone,  and  yet  with  their  own  ears  they 
had  heard  the  voice  of  a  wild  beast  within. 
What  could  it  mean?  Had  a  lion  or  a  leopard 
sought  sanctuary  in  the  interior,  unbeknown  to 
the  sentries? 

Tarzan 's  quick  eyes  discovered  the  opening 
in  the  roof,  through  which  Taglat  had  fallen. 
He  guessed  that  the  ape  had  either  come  or 
gone  by  way  of  the  break,  and  while  the  Arabs 
hesitated  without,  he  sprang,  catlike,  for  the 
opening,  grasped  the  top  of  the  wall  and  clam 
bered  out  upon  the  roof,  dropping  instantly  to 
the  ground  at  the  rear  of  the  hut. 

When  the  Arabs  finally  mustered  courage 
to  enter  the  hut,  after  firing  several  volleys 
through  the  walls,  they  found  the  interior  de 
serted.  At  the  same  time  Tarzan,  at  the  far  end 
of  the  village,  sought  for  Chulk;  but  the  ape 
was  nowhere  to  be  found. 

Robbed  of  his  she,  deserted  by  his  compan 
ions,  and  as  much  in  ignorance  as  ever  as  to  the 
whereabouts  of  his  pouch  and  pebbles,  it  was  an 
angry  Tarzan  who  climbed  the  palisade  and 
vanished  into  the  darkness  of  the  jungle. 

For  the  present  he  must  give  up  the  search 
224 


THE  DEADLY  PERIL  OF  JANE  CLAYTON 

for  his  pouch,  since  it  would  be  paramount  to 
self-destruction  to  enter  the  Arab  camp  now 
while  all  its  inhabitants  were  aroused  and  upon 
the  alert. 

In  his  escape  from  the  village,  the  ape-man 
had  lost  the  spoor  of  the  fleeing  Taglat,  and 
now  he  circled  widely  through  the  forest  in  an 
endeavor  to  again  pick  it  up. 

Chulk  had  remained  at  his  post  until  the 
cries  and  shots  of  the  Arabs  had  filled  his  sim 
ple  soul  with  terror,  for  above  all  things  the 
ape  folk  fear  the  thunder-sticks  of  the  Tar- 
mangani;  then  he  had  clambered  nimbly  over 
the  palisade,  tearing  his  burnoose  in  the  effort, 
and  fled  into  the  depths  of  the  jungle,  grumbling 
and  scolding  as  he  went. 

Tarzan,  roaming  the  jungle  in  search  of  the 
trail  of  Taglat  and  the  she,  traveled  swiftly. 
In  a  little  moonlit  glade  ahead  of  him  the  great 
ape  was  bending  over  the  prostrate  form  of 
the  woman  Tarzan  sought.  The  beast  was 
tearing  at  the  bonds  that  confined  her  ankles 
and  wrists,  pulling  and  gnawing  upon  the  cords. 

The  course  the  ape-man  was  taking  would 
carry  him  but  a  short  distance  to  the  right  of 
them,  and  though  he  could  not  have  seen  them 

225 


TABZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

the  wind  was  bearing  down  from  them  to  him, 
carrying  their  scent  spoor  strongly  toward  him. 
A  moment  more  and  Jane  Clayton's  safety 
might  have  been  assured,  even  though  Numa, 
the  lion,  was  already  gathering  himself  in  prep 
aration  for  a  charge;  but  Fate,  already  all  too 
cruel,  now  outdid  herself — the  wind  veered 
suddenly  for  a  few  moments,  the  scent  spoor 
that  would  have  led  the  ape-man  to  the  girl's 
side  was  wafted  in  the  opposite  direction;  Tar- 
zan  passed  within  fifty  yards  of  the  tragedy 
that  was  being  enacted  in  the  glade,  and  the  op 
portunity  was  gone  beyond  recall. 


226 


CHAPTER  XVIH 

THE  FIGHT  FOB  THE  TREASURE 

IT  WAS  morning  before  Tarzan  could  bring 
himself  to  a  realization  of  the  possibility  of 
failure  in  his  quest,  and  even  then  he  would 
only  admit  that  success  was  but  delayed.  He 
would  eat  and  sleep,  and  then  set  forth  again. 
The  jungle  was  wide;  but  wide  too  were  the 
experience  and  cunning  of  Tarzan.  Taglat 
might  travel  far;  but  Tarzan  would  find  him 
in  the  end,  though  he  had  to  search  every  tree 
in  the  mighty  forest. 

Soliloquizing  thus,  the  ape-man  followed  the 
spoor  of  Bara,  the  deer,  the  unfortunate  upon 
which  he  had  decided  to  satisfy  his  hunger. 
For  half  an  hour  the  trail  led  the  ape-man  to 
ward  the  east  along  a  well-marked  game  path, 
when  suddenly,  to  the  stalker's  astonishment, 
the  quarry  broke  into  sight,  racing  madly  back 
along  the  narrow  way  straight  toward  the 
hunter. 

Tarzan,  who  had  been  following  along  the 
227 


TAB2AK  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

trail,  leaped  so  quickly  to  the  concealing  ver 
dure  at  the  side  that  the  deer  was  still  unaware 
of  the  presence  of  an  enemy  in  this  direction, 
and  while  the  animal  was  still  some  distance 
away,  the  ape-man  swung  into  the  lower 
branches  of  a  tree  which  overhung  the  trail. 
There  he  crouched,  a  savage  beast  of  prey, 
awaiting  the  coming  of  its  victim. 

What  had  frightened  the  deer  into  so  frantic 
a  retreat,  Tarzan  did  not  know — Numa,  the 
lion,  perhaps,  or  Sheeta,  the  panther;  but  what 
soever  it  was  mattered  little  to  Tarzan  of  the 
Apes — he  was  ready  and  willing  to  defend  his 
kill  against  any  other  denizen  of  the  jungle. 
If  he  were  unable  to  do  it  by  means  of  physical 
prowess,  he  had  at  his  command  another  and 
a  greater  power — his  shrewd  intelligence. 

And  so,  on  came  the  running  deer,  straight 
into  the  jaws  of  death.  The  ape-man  turned 
so  that  his  back  was  toward  the  approaching 
animal.  He  poised  with  bent  knees  upon  the 
gently  swaying  limb  above  the  trail,  timing  with 
keen  ears  the  nearing  hoof  beats  of  frightened 
Bar  a. 

In  a  moment  the  victim  flashed  beneath  the 
limb  and  at  the  same  instant  the  ape-man 

228 


THE  FIGHT  FOR  THE  TREASURE 

above  sprang  out  and  down  upon  its  back.  The 
weight  of  the  man's  body  carried  the  deer  to 
the  ground.  It  stumbled  forward  once  in  a 
futile  effort  to  rise,  and  then  mighty  muscles 
dragged  its  head  far  back,  gave  the  neck  a 
vicious  wrench,  and  Bara  was  dead. 

Quick  had  been  the  killing,  and  equally  quick 
were  the  ape-man's  subsequent  actions,  for  who 
might  know  what  manner  of  killer  pursued 
Bara,  or  how  close  at  hand  he  might  be  ?  Scarce 
had  the  neck  of  the  victim  snapped  than  the 
carcass  was  hanging  over  one  of  Tarzan's 
broad  shoulders,  and  an  instant  later  the  ape- 
man  was  perched  once  more  among  the  lower 
branches  of  a  tree  above  the  trail,  his  keen,  gray 
eyes  scanning  the  pathway  down  which  the  deer 
had  fled. 

Nor  was  it  long  before  the  cause  of  Bara's 
fright  became  evident  to  Tarzan,  for  presently 
came  the  unmistakable  sounds  of  approaching 
horsemen.  Dragging  his  kill  after  him  the  ape^ 
man  ascended  to  the  middle  terrace,  and  set 
tling  himself  comfortably  in  the  crotch  of  a 
tree  where  he  could  still  view  the  trail  beneath, 
cut  a  juicy  steak  from  the  deer's  loin,  and  bury 
ing  his  strong,  white  teeth  in  the  hot  flesh  pro- 

229 


TABZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

ceeded  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  prowess  and 
Ms  cunning. 

Nor  did  he  neglect  the  trail  beneath  while 
he  satisfied  his  hunger.  His  sharp  eyes  saw 
the  muzzle  of  the  leading  horse  as  it  came  into 
view  around  a  bend  in  the  tortuous  trail,  and 
one  by  one  they  scrutinized  the  riders  as  they 
passed  beneath  him  in  single  file. 

Among  them  came  one  whom  Tarzan  recog 
nized,  but  so  schooled  was  the  ape-man  in  the 
control  of  his  emotions  that  no  slightest  change 
of  expression,  much  less  any  hysterical  demon 
stration  that  might  have  revealed  his  presence, 
betrayed  the  fact  of  his  inward  excitement. 

Beneath  him,  as  unconscious  of  his  presence 
as  were  the  Abyssinians  before  and  behind  him, 
rode  Albert  Werper,  while  the  ape-man  scrutin 
ized  the  Belgian  for  some  sign  of  the  pouch 
which  he  had  stolen. 

As  the  Abyssinians  rode  toward  the  south, 
a  giant  figure  hovered  ever  upon  their  trail — 
a  huge,  almost  naked  white  man,  who  carried 
the  bloody  carcass  of  a  deer  upon  his  shoul 
ders,  for  Tarzan  knew  that  he  might  not  have 
another  opportunity  to  hunt  for  some  time  if  he 
were  to  follow  the  Belgian. 

230 


THE  FIGHT  FOB  THE  TREASURE 

To  endeavor  to  snatch  him  from  the  midst  of 
the  armed  horsemen,  not  even  Tarzan  would 
attempt  other  than  in  the  last  extremity,  for 
the  way  of  the  wild  is  the  way  of  caution  and 
cunning,  unless  they  be  aroused  to  rashness  by 
pain  or  anger. 

So  the  Abyssinians  and  the  Belgian  marched 
southward  and  Tarzan  of  the  Apes  swung  si 
lently  after  them  through  the  swaying  branches 
of  the  middle  terrace. 

A  two  days'  march  brought  them  to  a  level 
plain  beyond  which  lay  mountains  —  a  plain 
which  Tarzan  remembered  and  which  aroused 
within  him  vague  half  memories  and  strange 
longings.  Out  upon  the  plain  the  horsemen 
rode,  and  at  a  safe  distance  behind  them  crept 
the  ape-man,  taking  advantage  of  such  cover 
as  the  ground  afforded. 

Beside  a  charred  pile  of  timbers  the  Abys 
sinians  halted,  and  Tarzan,  sneaking  close  and 
concealing  himself  in  nearby  shrubbery, 
watched  them  in  wonderment.  He  saw  them 
digging  up  the  earth,  and  he  wondered  if  they 
had  hidden  meat  there  in  the  past  and  now  had 
come  for  it.  Then  he  recalled  how  he  had 
buried  his  pretty  pebbles,  and  the  suggestion 

231 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

that  had  caused  him  to  do  it.    They  were  dig 
ging  for  the  things  the  blacks  had  buried  here ! 

Presently  he  saw  them  uncover  a  dirty,  yel 
low  object,  and  he  witnessed  the  joy  of  Werper 
and  of  Abdul  Mourak  as  the  grimy  object  was 
exposed  to  view.  One  by  one  they  unearthed 
many  similar  pieces,  all  of  the  same  uniform, 
dirty  yellow,  until  a  pile  of  them  lay  upon  the 
ground,  a  pile  which  Abdul  Mourak  fondled  and 
petted  in  an  ecstasy  of  greed. 

Something  stirred  in  the  ape-man's  mind  as 
he  looked  long  upon  the  golden  ingots.  Where 
had  he  seen  such  before?  What  were  they? 
Why  did  these  Tarmangani  covet  them  so 
greatly?  To  whom  did  they  belong? 

He  recalled  the  black  men  who  had  buried 
them.  The  things  must  be  theirs.  Werper  was 
stealing  them  as  he  had  stolen  Tarzan's  pouch 
of  pebbles.  The  ape-man's  eyes  blazed  in 
anger.  He  would  like  to  find  the  black  men  and 
lead  them  against  these  thieves.  He  wondered 
where  their  village  might  be. 

As  all  these  things  ran  through  the  active 
mind,  a  party  of  men  moved  out  of  the  forest 
at  the  edge  of  the  plain  and  advanced  toward 
the  ruins  of  the  burned  bungalow. 

232 


THE  FIGHT  FOR  THE  TREASURE 

Abdul  Mourak,  always  watchful,  was  the  first 
to  see  them,  but  already  they  were  halfway 
across  the  open.  He  called  to  his  men  to  mount 
and  hold  themselves  in  readiness,  for  in  the 
heart  of  Africa  who  may  know  whether  a 
strange  host  be  friend  or  foe? 

Werper,  swinging  into  his  saddle,  fastened 
his  eyes  upon  the  newcomers,  then.,  white  and 
trembling  he  turned  toward  Abdul  Mourak. 

"  It  is  Achmet  Zek  and  his  raiders,"  he  whis 
pered.  "  They  are  come  for  the  gold." 

It  must  have  been  at  about  the  same  instant 
that  Achmet  Zek  discovered  the  pile  of  yellow 
ingots  and  realized  the  actuality  of  what  he 
had  already  feared  since  first  his  eyes  had 
alighted  upon  the  party  beside  the  ruins  of  the 
Englishman's  bungalow.  Someone  had  fore 
stalled  him — another  had  come  for  the  treasure 
ahead  of  him. 

The  Arab  was  crazed  by  rage.  Eecently 
everything  had  gone  against  him.  He  had  lost 
the  jewels,  the  Belgian,  and  for  the  second 
time  he  had  lost  the  Englishwoman.  Now  some 
one  had  come  to  rob  him  of  this  treasure  which 
he  had  thought  as  safe  from  disturbance  here 
as  though  it  never  had  been  mined. 

233 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  QPAB 

He  cared  not  whom  the  thieves  might  be. 
They  would  not  give  up  the  gold  without  a 
battle,  of  that  he  was  certain,  and  with  a  wild 
whoop  and  a  command  to  his  followers,  Achmet 
Zek  put  spurs  to  his  horse  and  dashed  down 
upon  the  Abyssinians,  and  after  him,  waving 
their  long  guns  above  their  heads,  yelling  and 
cursing,  came  his  motley  horde  of  cut-throat 
followers. 

The  men  of  Abdul  Mourak  met  them  with  a 
volley  which  emptied  a;  few  saddles,  and  then 
the  raiders  were  among  them,  and  sword,  pistol 
and  musket,  each  was  doing  its  most  hideous 
and  bloody  work. 

Achmet  Zek,  spying  Werper  at  the  first 
charge,  bore  down  upon  the  Belgian,  and  the 
latter,  terrified  by  contemplation  of  the  fate 
he  deserved,  turned  his  horse 's  head  and  dashed 
madly  away  in  an  effort  to  escape.  Shouting  to 
a  lieutenant  to  take  command,  and  urging  him 
upon  pain  of  death  to  dispatch  the  Abyssinians 
and  bring  the  gold  back  to  his  camp,  Achmet 
Zek  set  off  across  the  plain  in  pursuit  of  the 
Belgian,  his  wicked  nature  unable  to  forego 
the  pleasures  of  revenge,  even  at  the  risk  of 
sacrificing  the  treasure. 

234 


THE  FIGHT  FOR  THE  TREASURE 

As  the  pursued  and  the  pursuer  raced  madly 
toward  the  distant  forest  the  battle  behind 
them  raged  with  bloody  savageness.  No  quar 
ter  was  asked  or  given  by  either  the  ferocious 
Abyssinians  or  the  murderous  cut-throats  of 
Achmet  Zek. 

From  the  concealment  of  the  shrubbery  Tar- 
zan  watched  the  sanguinary  conflict  which  so 
effectually  surrounded  him  that  he  found  no 
loop-hole  through  which  he  might  escape  to 
follow  Werper  and  the  Arab  chief. 

The  Abyssinians  were  formed  in  a  circle 
which  included  Tarzan's  position,  and  around 
and  into  them  galloped  the  yelling  raiders,  now 
darting  away,  now  charging  in  to  deliver  thrusts 
and  cuts  with  their  curved  swords. 

Numerically  the  men  of  Achmet  Zek  were 
superior,  and  slowly  but  surely  the  soldiers  of 
Menelek  were  being  exterminated.  To  Tarzan 
the  result  was  immaterial.  He  watched  with 
but  a  single  purpose — to  escape  the  ring  of 
blood-mad  fighters  and  be  away  after  the  Bel 
gian  and  his  pouch. 

When  he  had  first  discovered  Werper  upon 
the  trail  where  he  had  slain  Bara,  he  had 
thought  that  his  eyes  must  be  playing  him 

235 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

false,  so  certain  had  he  been  that  the  thief 
had  been  slain  and  devoured  by  Numa;  but 
after  following  the  detachment  for  two  days, 
with  his  keen  eyes  always  upon  the  Belgian, 
he  no  longer  doubted  the  identity  of  the  man, 
though  he  was  put  to  it  to  explain  the  identity 
of  the  mutilated  corpse  he  had  supposed  was 
the  man  he  sought. 

As  he  crouched  in  hiding  among  the  unkempt 
shrubbery  which  so  short  a  while  since  had 
been  the  delight  and  pride  of  the  wife  he  no 
longer  recalled,  an  Arab  and  an  Abyssinian 
wheeled  their  mounts  close  to  his  position  as 
they  slashed  at  each  other  with  their  swords. 

Step  by  step  the  Arab  beat  back  his  adver 
sary  until  the  latter  9s  horse  all  but  trod  upon 
the  ape-man,  and  then  a  vicious  cut  clove  the 
black  warrior's  skull,  and  the  corpse  toppled 
backward  almost  upon  Tarzan. 

As  the  Abyssinian  tumbled  from  his  saddle 
the  possibility  of  escape  whiefh  was  represented 
by  the  riderless  horse  electrified  the  ape-man 
to  instant  action.  Before  the  frightened  beast 
could  gather  himself  for  flight  a  naked  giant 
was  astride  his  back.  A  strong  hand  had 
grasped  his  bridle  rein,  and  the  surprised  Arab 

236 


THE  FIGHT  FOR  THE  TREASURE 

discovered  a  new  foe  in  the  saddle  of  Mm,  whom 
he  had  slain. 

But  this  enemy  wielded  no  sword,  and  his 
spear  and  bow  remained  upon  his  back.  The 
Arab,  recovered  from  his  first  surprise,  dashed 
in  with  raised  sword  to  annihilate  this  pre- 
sumptious  stranger.  He  aimed  a  mighty  blow 
at  the  ape-man's  head,  a  blow  which  swung 
harmlessly  through  thin  air  as  Tarzan  ducked 
from  its  path,  and  then  the  Arab  felt  the  other's 
horse  brushing  his  leg,  a  great  arm  shot  out 
and  encircled  his  waist,  and  before  he  could 
recover  himself  he  was  dragged  from  his  sad 
dle,  and  forming  a  shield  for  his  antagonist 
was  borne  at  a  mad  run  straight  through  the 
encircling  ranks  of  his  fellows. 

Just  beyond  them  he  was  tossed  aside  upon 
the  ground,  and  the  last  he  saw  of  his  strange 
f oeman  the  latter  was  galloping  off  across  the 
plain  in  the  direction  of  the  forest  at  its  farther 
edge. 

For  another  hour  the  battle  raged  nor  did 
it  cease  until  the  last  of  the  Abyssinians  lay 
dead  upon  the  ground,  or  had  galloped  off 
toward  the  north  in  flight.  But  a  handful  of 
men  escaped,  among  them  Abdul  Mourak. 

237 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

The  victorious  raiders  collected  about  the 
pile  of  golden  ingots  which  the  Abyssinians 
had  uncovered,  and  there  awaited  the  return 
of  their  leader.  Their  exultation  was  slightly 
tempered  by  the  glimpse  they  had  had  of  the 
strange  apparition  of  the  naked  white  man 
galloping  away  upon  the  horse  of  one  of  their 
f  oemen  and  carrying  a  companion  who  was  now 
among  them  expatiating  upon  the  superhuman 
strength  of  the  ape-man.  None  of  them  there 
but  was  familiar  with  the  name  and  fame  of 
Tarzan  of  the  Apes,  and  the  fact  that  they  had 
recognized  the  white  giant  as  the  ferocious 
enemy  of  the  wrongdoers  of  the  jungle,  added 
to  their  terror,  for  they  had  been  assured  that 
Tarzan  was  dead. 

Naturally  superstitious,  they  fully  believed 
that  they  had  seen  the  disembodied  spirit  of 
the  dead  man,  and  now  they  cast  fearful  glances 
about  them  in  expectation  of  the  ghost's  early 
return  to  the  scene  of  the  ruin  they  had  in 
flicted  upon  him  during  their  recent  raid  upon 
his  home,  and  discussed  in  affrighted  whispers 
the  probable  nature  of  the  vengeance  which  the 
spirit  would  inflict  upon  them  should  he  return 
to  find  them  in  possession  of  his  gold. 

238 


THE  FIGHT  FOR  THE  TREASURE 

As  they  conversed  their  terror  grew,  while 
from  the  concealment  of  the  reeds  along  the 
river  below  them  a  small  party  of  naked,  black 
warriors  watched  their  every  move.  From  the 
heights  beyond  the  river  these  black  men  had 
heard  the  noise  of  the  conflict,  and  creeping 
warily  down  to  the  stream  had  forded  it  and 
advanced  through  the  reeds  until  they  were  in 
a  position  to  watch  every  move  of  the  com 
batants. 

For  a  half  hour  the  raiders  awaited  Achmet 
Zek's  return,  their  fear  of  the  earlier  return 
of  the  ghost  of  Tarzan  constantly  undermining 
their  loyalty  to  and  fear  of  their  chief.  Finally 
one  among  them  voiced  the  desires  of  all  when 
he  announced  that  he  intended  riding  forth 
toward  the  forest  in  search  of  Achmet  Zek. 
Instantly  every  man  of  them  sprang  to  his 
mount. 

"  The  gold  will  be  safe  here,"  cried  one. 
"We  have  killed  the  Abyssinians  and  there 
are  no  others  to  carry  it  away.  Let  us  ride  in 
search  of  Achmet  Zek!  " 

And  a  moment  later,  amidst  a  cloud  of  dust, 
the  raiders  were  galloping  madly  across  the 
plain,  and  out  from  the  concealment  of  the  reeds 

239 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

along  the  river,  crept  a  party  of  black  warriors 
toward  the  spot  where  the  golden  ingots  of  Opar 
lay  piled  on  the  ground. 

Werper  had  still  been  in  advance  of  Achmet 
Zek  when  he  reached  the  forest ;  but  the  latter, 
better  mounted,  was  gaining  upon  him.  Rid 
ing  with  the  reckless  courage  of  desperation  the 
Belgian  urged  his  mount  to  greater  speed  even 
within  the  narrow  confines  of  the  winding,  game 
trail  that  the  beast  was  following. 

Behind  him  he  could  hear  the  voice  of  Achmet 
Zek  crying  to  him  to  halt;  but  Werper  only 
dug  the  spurs  deeper  into  the  bleeding  sides 
of  his  panting  mount.  Two  hundred  yards 
within  the  forest  a:  broken  branch  lay  across 
the  trail.  It  was  a  small  thing  that  a  horse 
might  ordinarily  take  in  his  natural  stride  with 
out  noticing  its  presence;  but  Werper 's  horse 
was  jaded,  his  feet  were  heavy  with  weariness, 
and  as  the  branch  caught  between  his  front  legs 
he  stumbled,  was  unable  to  recover  himself,  and 
went  down,  sprawling  in  the  trail. 

Werper,  going  over  his  head  rolled  a  few 
yards  farther  on,  scrambled  to  his  feet  and  ran 
back.  Seizing  the  reins  he  tugged  to  drag  the 
beast  to  his  feet;  but  the  animal  would  not  or 

210 


THE  FIGHT  FOR  THE  TREASURE 

could  not  rise,  and  as  the  Belgian  cursed  and 
struck  at  him,  Achmet  Zek  appeared  in  view. 

Instantly  the  Belgian  ceased  his  efforts  with 
the  dying  animal  at  his  feet,  and  seizing  his 
rifle,  dropped  behind,  the  horse  and  fired  at  the 
oncoming  Arab. 

His  bullet,  going  low,  struck  Achmet  Zek's 
horse  in  the  breast,  bringing  him  down  a  hun 
dred  yards  from  where  Werper  lay  preparing 
to  fire  a  second  shot. 

The  Arab,  who  had  gone  down  with  his  mount, 
was  standing  astride  him,  and  seeing  the  Bel 
gian's  strategic  position  behind  his  fallen 
horse,  lost  no  time  in  taking  up  si  similar  one 
behind  his  own. 

And  there  the  two  lay,  alternately  firing  at 
and  cursing  each  other,  while  from  behind  the 
Arab,  Tarzan  of  the  Apes  approached  to  the 
edge  of  the  forest.  Here  he  heard  the  occa 
sional  shots  of  the  duelists,  and  choosing  the 
safer  and  swifter  avenue  of  the  forest  branches 
to  the  uncertain  transportation  afforded  by  a 
half -broken  Abyssinian  pony,  took  to  the  trees. 

Keeping  to  one  side  of  the  trail,  the  ape-man 
came  presently  to  a  point  where  he  could  look 
down  in  comparative  safety  upon  the  fighters. 

241 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

First  one  and  then  the  other  would  partially 
raise  himself  above  his  breastwork  of  horse 
flesh,  fire  his  weapon  and  immediately  drop 
flat  behind  his  shelter,  where  he  would  reload 
and  repeat  the  act  a  moment  later. 

Werper  had  but  little  ammunition,  having 
been  hastily  armed  by  Abdul  Mourak  from  the 
body  of  one  of  the  first  of  the  Abyssinians  who 
had  fallen  in  the  fight  about  the  pile  of  ingots, 
and  now  he  realized  that  soon  he  would  have 
used  his  last  bullet,  and  be  at  the  mercy  of  the 
Arab — a  mercy  with  which  he  was  well 
acquainted. 

Facing  both  death  and  despoilment  of  his 
treasure,  the  Belgian  cast  about  for  some  plan 
of  escape,  and  the  only  one  that  appealed  to 
him  as  containing  even  a  remote  possibility  of 
success  hinged  upon  the  chance  of  bribing 
Achmet  Zek. 

Werper  had  fired  all  but  a  single  cartridge, 
when,  during  a  lull  in  the  fighting,  he  called 
aloud  to  his  opponent. 

"Achmet  Zek,"  he  cried,  " Allah  alone 
knows  which  one  of  us  may  leave  our  bones  to 
rot  where  he  lies  upon  this  trail  today  if  we 
keep  up  our  foolish  battle.  You  wish  the  con- 

242 


THE  FIGHT  FOR  THE  TREASURE 

tents  of  the  pouch  I  wear  about  my  waist,  and 
I  wish  my  life  and  my  liberty  even  more  than 
I  do  the  jewels.  Let  us  each,  then,  take  that 
which  he  most  desires  and  go  our  separate 
ways  in  peace.  I  will  lay  the  pouch  upon  the 
carcass  of  my  horse,  where  you  may  see  it, 
and  you,  in  turn,  will  lay  your  gun  upon  your 
horse,  with  butt  toward  me.  Then  I  will  go 
away,  leaving  the  pouch  to  you,  and  you  will 
let  me  go  in  safety.  I  want  only  my  life,  and 
my  freedom. " 

The  Arab  thought  in  silence  for  a  moment. 
Then  he  spoke.  His  reply  was  influenced  by 
the  fact  that  he  had  expended  his  last  shot. 

1  'Go  your  way,  then,"  he  growled,  "leav 
ing  the  pouch  in  plain  sight  behind  you.  See, 
I  lay  my  gun  thus,  with  the  butt  toward  you. 
Go." 

Werper  removed  the  pouch  from  about  his 
waist.  Sorrowfully  and  affectionately  he  let 
his  fingers  press  the  hard  outlines  of  the  con 
tents.  Ah,  if  he  could  but  extract  a  little  hand 
ful  of  the  precious  stones!  But  Achmet  Zek 
was  standing  now,  his  eagle  eyes  commanding  a 
plain  view  of  the  Belgian  and  his  every  act. 

Eegretfully  Werper  laid  the  pouch,  its  con- 
243 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  QPAR 

tents  undisturbed,  upon  the  body  of  his  horse, 
rose,  and  taking  his  rifle  with  him,  backed  slowly 
down  the  trail  until  a  turn  hid  him  from  the 
view  of  the  watchful  Arab. 

Even  then  Achmet  Zek  did  not  advance,  fear 
ful  as  he  was  of  some  such  treachery  as  he  him 
self  might  have  been  guilty  of  under  like  cir 
cumstances  ;  nor  were  his  suspicions  groundless, 
for  the  Belgian,  no  sooner  had  he  passed  out  of 
the  range  of  the  Arab's  vision,  halted  behind 
the  bole  of  a  tree,  where  he  still  commanded 
an  unobstructed  view  of  his  dead  horse  and  the 
pouch,  and  raising  his  rifle  covered  the  spot 
where  the  other's  body  must  appear  when  he 
came  forward  to  seize  the  treasure. 

But  Achmet  Zek  was  no  fool  to  expose  him 
self  to  the  blackened  honor  of  a  thief  and  a 
murderer.  Taking  his  long  gun  with  him,  he 
left  the  trail,  entering  the  rank  and  tangled 
vegetation  which  walled  it,  and  crawling  slowly 
forward  on  hands  and  knees  he  paralleled  the 
trail;  but  never  for  an  instant  was  his  body 
exposed  to  the  rifle  of  the  hidden  assassin. 

Thus  Achmet  Zek  advanced  until  he  had  come 
opposite  the  dead  horse  of  his  enemy.  The 
pouch  lay  there  in  full  view,  while  a  short  dis- 

244 


THE  FIGHT  FOR  THE  TREASURE 

tance  along  the  trail,  Werper  waited  in  grow 
ing  impatience  and  nervousness,  wondering  why 
the  Arab  did  not  come  to  claim  his  reward. 

Presently  he  saw  the  muzzle  of  a  rifle  appear 
suddenly  and  mysteriously  a  few  inches  above 
the  pouch,  and  before  he  could  realize  the  cun 
ning  trick  that  the  Arab  had  played  upon  him 
the  sight  of  the  weapon  was  adroitly  hooked 
into  the  rawhide  thong  which  formed  the  carry 
ing  strap  of  the  pouch,  and  the  latter  was  drawn 
quickly  from  his  view  into  the  dense  foliage  at 
the  trail's  side. 

Not  for  an  instant  had  the  raider  exposed  a 
square  inch  of  his  body,  and  Werper  dared  not 
fire  his  one  remaining  shot  unless  every  chance 
of  a  successful  hit  was  in  his  favor. 

Chuckling  to  himself,  Achmet  Zek  withdrew 
a  few  paces  farther  into  the  jungle,  for  he  was 
as  positive  that  Werper  was  waiting  nearby 
for  a  chance  to  pot  him  as  though  his  eyes  had 
penetrated  the  jungle  trees  to  the  figure  of  the 
hiding  Belgian,  fingering  his  rifle  behind  the 
bole  of  the  buttressed  giant. 

Werper  did  not  dare  advance — his  cupidity 
would  not  permit  him  to  depart,  and  so  he  stood 
there,  his  rifle  ready  in  his  hands,  his  eyes 

245 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

watching  the  trail  before  him  with  catlike  in 
tensity. 

But  there  was  another  who  had  seen  the 
pouch  and  recognized  it,  who  did  advance  with 
Achmet  Zek,  hovering  above  him,  as  silent  and 
as  sure  as  death  itself,  and  as  the  Arab,  find 
ing  a  little  spot  less  overgrown  with  bushes 
than  he  had  yet  encountered,  prepared  to  gloat 
his  eyes  upon  the  contents  of  the  pouch,  Tar- 
zan  paused  directly  above  him,  intent  upon  the 
same  object 

Wetting  his  thin  lips  with  his  tongue,  Ach 
met  Zek  loosened  the  tie  strings  which  closed 
the  mouth  of  the  pouch,  and  cupping  one  claw- 
like  hand  poured  forth  a  portion  of  the  con 
tents  into  his  palm. 

A  single  look  he  took  at  the  stones  lying  in 
his  hand.  His  eyes  narrowed,  a  curse  broke 
from  his  lips,  and  he  hurled  the  small  objects 
upon  the  ground,  disdainfully.  Quickly  he 
emptied  the  balance  of  the  contents  until  he 
had  scanned  each  separate  stone,  and  as  he 
dumped  them  all  upon  the  ground  and  stamped 
upon  them  his  rage  grew  until  the  muscles  of 
his  face  worked  in  demon-like  fury,  and  his  fin 
gers  clenched  until  his  nails  bit  into  the  flesh. 

246 


THE  FIGHT  FOB  THE  TREASURE 

Above,  Tarzan  watched  in  wonderment.  He 
had  been  curious  to  discover  what  all  the  pow 
wow  about  his  pouch  had  meant.  He  wanted 
to  see  what  the  Arab  would  do  after  the  other 
had  gone  away,  leaving  the  pouch  behind  him, 
and,  having  satisfied  his  curiosity,  he  would 
then  have  pounced  upon  Achmet  Zek  and  taken 
the  pouch  and  his  pretty  pebbles  away  from 
him,  for  did  they  not  belong  to  Tarzan? 

He  saw  the  Arab  now  throw  aside  the  empty 
pouch,  and  grasping  his  long  gun  by  the  bar 
rel,  clublike,  sneak  stealthily  through  the  jungle 
beside  the  trail  along  which  Werper  had  gone. 

As  the  man  disappeared  from  his  view, 
Tarzan  dropped  to  the  ground  and  commenced 
gathering  up  the  spilled  contents  of  the  pouch, 
and  the  moment  that  he  obtained  his  first  near 
view  of  the  scattered  pebbles  he  understood  the 
rage  of  the  Arab,  for  instead  of  the  glittering 
and  scintillating  gems  which  had  first  caught 
and  held  thg  attention  of  the  ape-man,  the  pouch 
had  now  contained  but  a  collection  of  ordinary 
river  pebbles. 


247 


CHAPTER  XIX 

JANE  CLAYTON  AND  THE  BEASTS  OF  THE  JUNGLE 

MUGAMBI,  after  his  successful  break  for 
liberty,  had  fallen  upon  hard  times. 
His  way  had  led  him  through  a,  country  with 
which  he  was  unfamiliar,  a  jungle  country  in 
which  he  could  find  no  water,  and  but  little 
food,  so  that  after  several  days  of  wandering 
he  found  himself  so  reduced  in  strength  that 
he  could  barely  drag  himself  along. 

It  was  with  growing  difficulty  that  he  found 
the  strength  necessary  to  construct  a  shelter  by 
night  wherein  he  might  be  reasonably  safe  from 
the  large  carnivora,  and  by  day  he  still  further 
exhausted  his  strength  in  digging  for  edible 
roots,  and  searching  for  water. 

A  few  stagnant  pools  at  considerable  dis 
tances  apart  saved  him  from  death  by  thirst; 
but  his  was  a  pitiable  state  when  finally  he 
stumbled  by  accident  upon  a  large  river  in  a 
country  where  fruit  was  abundant,  and  small 
game  which  he  might  bag  by  means  of  a  combi- 

248 


JANE  AND  THE  BEASTS  OF  THE  JUNGLE 

nation  of  stealth,  cunning,  and  a  crude  knob 
stick  which  he  had  fashioned  from  a  fallen  limb. 

Eealizing  that  he  still  had  a  long  march  ahead 
of  him  before  he  could  reach  even  the  outskirts 
of  the  Waziri  country,  Mugambi  wisely  decided 
to  remain  where  he  was  until  he  had  recuper 
ated  his  strength  and  health.  A  few  days'  rest 
would  accomplish  wonders  for  him,  he  knew, 
and  he  could  ill  afford  to  sacrifice  his  chances 
for  a  safe  return  by  setting  forth  handicapped 
by  weakness. 

And  so  it  was  that  he  constructed  a  substan 
tial  thorn  boma,  and  rigged  a  thatched  shelter 
within  it,  where  he  might  sleep  by  night  in 
security,  and  from  which  he  sallied  forth  by 
day  to  hunt  the  flesh  which  alone  could  return 
to  his  giant  thews  their  normal  prowess. 

One  day,  as  he  hunted,  a  pair  of  savage  eyes 
discovered  him  from  the  concealment  of  the 
branches  of  a  great  tree  beneath  which  the  black 
warrior  passed.  Bloodshot,  wicked  eyes  they 
were,  set  in  a  fierce  and  hairy  face. 

They  watched  Mugambi  make  his  little  kill  of 
a  small  rodent,  and  they  followed  him  as  he  re 
turned  to  his  hut,  their  owner  moving  quietly 
through  the  trees  upon  the  trail  of  the  negro. 

249 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

The  creature  was  Chulk,  and  he  looked  down 
upon  the  unconscious  man  more  in  curiosity 
than  in  hate.  The  wearing  of  the  Arab 
burnoose  which  Tarzan  had  placed  upon  his 
person  had  aroused  in  the  mind  of  the  anthro 
poid  a  desire  for  similar  mimicry  of  the 
Tarmangani.  The  burnoose,  though,  had  ob 
structed  his  movements  and  proven  such  a 
nuisance  that  the  ape  had  long  since  torn  it 
from  him  and  thrown  it  away. 

Now,  however,  he  saw  a  Gomangani  arrayed 
in  less  cumbersome  apparel — a  loin  cloth,  a  few 
copper  ornaments  and  a  feather  headdress. 
These  were  more  in  line  with  Chulk 's  desires 
than  a  flowing  robe  which  was  constantly  get 
ting  between  ones  legs,  and  catching  upon  every 
limb  and  bush  along  the  leafy  trail. 

Chulk  eyed  the  pouch,  which,  suspended  over 
Mugambi's  shoulder,  swung  beside  his  black 
hip.  This  took  his  fancy,  for  it  was  ornamented 
with  feathers  and  a  fringe,  and  so  the  ape  hung 
about  Mugambi's  boma,  waiting  an  opportu 
nity  to  seize  either  by  stealth  or  might  some 
object  of  the  black's  apparel. 

Nor  was  it  long  before  the  opportunity  came. 
Feeling  safe  within  his  thorny  enclosure, 

250 


JANE  AND  THE  BEASTS  OF  THE  JUNGLE 

Mugambi  was  wont  to  stretch  himself  in  the 
shade  of  his  shelter  during  the  heat  of  the  day, 
and  sleep  in  peaceful  security  until  the  declin 
ing  sun  carried  with  it  the  enervating  tem 
perature  of  midday. 

Watching  from  above,  Chulk  saw  the  black 
warrior  stretched  thus  in  the  unconsciousness 
of  sleep  one  sultry  afternoon.  Creeping  out 
upon  an  overhanging  branch  the  anthropoid 
dropped  to  the  ground  within  the  boma.  He 
approached  the  sleeper  upon  padded  feet  which 
gave  forth  no  sound,  and  with  an  uncanny  wood 
craft  that  rustled  not  a  leaf  or  a  grass  blade. 

Pausing  beside  the  man,  the  ape  bent  over 
and  examined  his  belongings.  Great  as  was 
the  strength  of  Chulk  there  lay  in  the  back  of 
his  little  brain  a  something  which  deterred  him 
from  arousing  the  man  to  combat — a  sense 
that  is  inherent  in  all  of  the  lower  orders,  a 
strange  fear  of  man,  that  rules  even  the  most 
powerful  of  the  jungle  creatures  at  times. 

To  remove  Mugambi  *s  loin  cloth  without 
awakening  him  would  be  impossible,  and  the 
only  detachable  things  were  the  knob-stick  and 
the  pouch,  which  had  fallen  from  the  black's 
shoulder  as  he  rolled  in  sleep. 

251 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

Seizing  these  two  articles,  as  better  than 
nothing  at  all,  Chulk  retreated  with  haste,  and 
every  indication  of  nervous  terror,  to  the  safety 
of  the  tree  from  which  he  had  dropped,  and, 
still  haunted  by  that  indefinable  terror  which 
the  close  proximity  of  man  awakened  in  his 
breast,  fled  precipitately  through  the  jungle. 
Aroused  by  attack,  or  supported  by  the  pres 
ence  of  another  of  his  kind,  Chulk  could  have 
braved  the  presence  of  a  score  of  human  be 
ings,  but  alone — ah,  that  was  a  different  mat 
ter — alone,  and  unenraged. 

It  was  some  time  after  Mugambi  awoke  that 
he  missed  the  pouch.  Instantly  he  was  all 
excitement.  What  could  have  become  of  it? 
It  had  been  at  his  side  when  he  lay  down  to 
sleep — of  that  he  was  certain,  for  had  he  not 
pushed  it  from  beneath  him  when  its  bulging 
bulk,  pressing  against  his  ribs,  caused  him  dis 
comfort?  Yes,  it  had  been  there  when  he  lay 
down  to  sleep.  How  then  had  it  vanished? 

Mugambi 's  savage  imagination  was  filled 
with  visions  of  the  spirits  of  departed  friends 
and  enemies,  for  only  to  the  machinations  of 
such  as  these  could  he  attribute  the  disappear 
ance  of  his  pouch  and  knob-stick  in  the  first 

252 


JANE  AND  THE  BEASTS  OF  THE  JUNGLE 

excitement  of  the  discovery  of  their  loss;  but 
later  and  more  careful  investigation,  such  as 
his  woodcraft  made  possible,  revealed  indis 
putable  evidence  of  a  more  material  explanation 
than  his  excited  fancy  and  superstition  had 
at  first  led  him  to  accept. 

In  the  trampled  turf  beside  him  was  the 
faint  impress  of  huge,  manlike  feet.  Mugambi 
raised  his  brows  as  the  truth  dawned  upon 
him.  Hastily  leaving  the  boma  he  searched  in 
all  directions  about  the  enclosure  for  some 
further  sign  of  the  tell-tale  spoor.  He  climbed 
trees  and  sought  for  evidence  of  the  direc 
tion  of  the  thief's  flight;  but  the  faint  signs 
left  by  a  wary  ape  who  elects  to  travel  through 
the  trees  eluded  the  woodcraft  of  Mugambi. 
Tarzan  might  have  followed  them ;  but  no  ordi 
nary  mortal  could  perceive  them,  or  perceiving, 
translate. 

The  black,  now  strengthened  and  refreshed 
by  his  rest,  felt  ready  to  set  out  again  for  Wa- 
ziri,  and  finding  himself  another  knob-stick, 
turned  his  back  upon  the  river  and  plunged 
into  the  mazes  of  the  jungle. 

As  Taglat  struggled  with  the  bonds  which  se 
cured  the  ankles  and  wrists  of  his  captive,  the 

253 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

great  lion  that  eyed  the  two  from  behind  a 
nearby  clump  of  bushes  wormed  closer  to  his 
intended  prey. 

The  ape's  back  was  toward  the  lion.  He  did 
not  see  the  broad  head,  fringed  by  its  rough 
mane,  protruding  through  the  leafy  wall.  He 
could  not  know  that  the  powerful  hind  paws 
were  gathering  close  beneath  the  tawny  belly 
preparatory  to  a  sudden  spring,  and  his  first 
intimation  of  impending  danger  was  the  thun 
derous  and  triumphant  roar  which  the  charg 
ing  lion  could  no  longer  suppress. 

Scarce  pausing  for  a  backward  glance,  Tag- 
lat  abandoned  the  unconscious  woman  and  fled 
in  the  opposite  direction  from  the  horrid  sound 
which  had  broken  in  so  unexpected  and  terri 
fying  a  manner  upon  his  startled  ears ;  but  the 
warning  had  come  too  late  to  save  him,  and 
the  lion,  in  his  second  bound,  alighted  full  upon 
the  broad  shoulders  of  the  anthropoid. 

As  the  great  bull  went  down  there  was  awak 
ened  in  him  to  the  full  all  the  cunning,  all  the 
ferocity,  all  the  physical  prowess  which  obey 
the  mightiest  of  the  fundamental  laws  of  na 
ture,  the  law  of  self-preservation,  and  turning 
upon  his  back  he  closed  with  the  carnivore  in 

254 


JANE  AND  THE  BEASTS  OF  THE  JUNGLE 

a  death  struggle  so  fearless  and  abandoned, 
that  for  a  moment  the  great  Numa  himself  may 
have  trembled  for  the  outcome. 

Seizing  the  lion  by  the  mane,  Taglat  buried 
his  yellowed  fangs  deep  in  the  monster's  throat, 
growling  hideously  through  the  muffled  gag  of 
blood  and  hair.  Mixed  with  the  ape's  voice 
the  lion's  roars  of  rage  and  pain  reverberated 
through  the  jungle,  till  the  lesser  creatures  of 
the  wild,  startled  from  their  peaceful  pursuits, 
scurried  fearfully  away. 

Boiling  over  and  over  upon  the  turf  the  two 
battled  with  demoniac  fury,  until  the  colossal 
cat,  by  doubling  his  hind  paws  far  up  beneath 
his  belly  sank  his  talons  deep  into  Taglat 's 
chest,  then,  ripping  downward  with  all  his 
strength,  Numa  accomplished  his  design,  and 
the  disemboweled  anthropoid,  with  #  last  spas 
modic  struggle,  relaxed  in  limp  and  bloody  dis 
solution  beneath  his  titanic  adversary. 

Scrambling  to  his  feet,  Numa  looked  about 
quickly  in  all  directions,  as  though  seeking  to 
detect  the  possible  presence  of  other  foes;  but 
only  the  still  and  unconscious  form  of  the  girl, 
lying  a  few  paces  from  him  met  his  gaze,  and 
with  an  angry  growl  he  placed  a  f  orepaw  upon 

255 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  QPAR 

the  body  of  his  kill  and  raising  his  head  gave 
voice  to  his  savage  victory  cry. 

For  another  moment  he  stood  with  fierce  eyes 
roving  to  and  fro  about  the  clearing.  At  last 
they  halted  for  a  second  time  upon  the  girl. 
A  low  growl  rumbled  from  the  lion's  throat. 
His  lower  jaw  rose  and  fell,  and  the  slaver 
drooled  and  dripped  upon  the  dead  face  of 
Taglat. 

Like  two  yellow-green  augurs,  wide  and  un 
blinking,  the  terrible  eyes  remained  fixed  upon 
Jane  Clayton.  The  erect  and  majestic  pose  of 
the  great  frame  shrank  suddenly  into  a  sinis 
ter  crouch  as>  slowly  and  gently  as  one  who 
treads /on  eggs,  the  devil-faced  cat  crept  for 
ward  toward  the  girl. 

Beneficent  Fate  maintained  her  in  happy  un 
consciousness  of  the  dread  presence  sneaking 
stealthily  upon  her.  She  did  not  know  when 
the  lion  paused  at  her  side.  She  did  not  hear 
the  sniffing  of  his  nostrils  as  he  smelled  about 
her.  She  did  not  feel  the  heat  of  the  fetid 
breath  upon  her  face,  nor  the  dripping  of  the 
saliva  from  the  frightful  jaws  half  opened  so 
close  above  her. 

Finally  the  lion  lifted  a  f orepaw  and  turned 
256 


JANE  AND  THE  BEASTS  OF  THE  JUNGLE 

the  body  of  the  girl  half  over,  then  he  stood 
again  eyeing  her  as  though  still  undetermined 
whether  life  was  extinct  or  not.  Some  noise 
or  odor  from  the  nearby  jungle  attracted  his 
attention  for  a  moment.  His  eyes  did  not  again 
return  ta  Jane  Clayton,  and  presently  he  left 
her,  walked  over  to  the  remains  of  Taglat,  and 
crouching  down  upon  his  kill  with  his  back 
toward  the  girl,  proceeded  to  devour  the  ape. 

It  was  upon  this  scene  that  Jane  Clayton  at 
last  opened  her  eyes.  Inured  to  danger,  she 
maintained  her  self-possession  in  the  face  of 
the  startling  surprise  which  her  new-found  con 
sciousness  revealed  to  her.  She  neither  cried 
out  nor  moved  a  muscle,  until  she  had  taken 
in  every  detail  of  the  scene  which  lay  within 
the  range  of  her  vision. 

She  saw  that  the  lion  had  killed  the  ape,  and 
that  he  was  devouring  his  prey  less  than  fifty 
feet  from  where  she  lay;  but  what  could  she 
do?  Her  hands  and  feet  were  bound.  She 
must  wait  then,  in  what  patience  she  could 
command,  until  Numa  had  eaten  and  digested 
the  ape,  when,  without  doubt,  he  would  re 
turn  to  feast  upon  her,  unless,  in  the  meantime, 
the  dread  hyenas  should  discover  her,  or  some 

257 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

other  of  the  numerous  prowling  carnivora  of 
the  jungle. 

As  she  lay  tormented  by  these  frightful 
thoughts  she  suddenly  became  conscious  that 
the  bonds  at  her  wrists  and  ankles  no  longer 
hurt  her,  and  then  of  the  fact  that  her  hands 
were  separated,  one  lying  upon  either  side  of 
her,  instead  of  both  being  confined  at  her  back. 

Wonderingly  she  moved  a  hand.  What  mir 
acle  had  been  performed!  It  was  not  bound! 
Stealthily  and  noiselessly  she  moved  her  other 
limbs,  only  to  discover  that  she  was  free.  She 
could  not  know  how  the  thing  had  happened, 
that  Taglat,  gnawing  upon  them  for  sinister 
purposes  of  his  own,  had  cut  them  through  but 
an  instant  before  Numa  had  frightened  him 
from  his  victim. 

For  a  moment  Jane  Clayton  was  over 
whelmed  with  joy  and  thanksgiving;  but  only 
for  a  moment.  What  good  was  her  new-found 
liberty  in  the  face  of  the  frightful  beast  crouch 
ing  so  close  beside  her?  If  she  could  have  had 
this  chance  under  different  conditions,  how 
happily  she  would  have  taken  advantage  of  it ; 
but  now  it  was  given  to  her  when  escape  was 
practically  impossible. 

258 


JANE  AND  THE  BEASTS  OF  THE  JUNGLE 

The  nearest  tree  was  a  hundred  feet  away, 
the  lion  less  than  fifty.  To  rise  and  attempt 
to  reach  the  safety  of  those  tantalizing 
branches  would  be  but  to  invite  instant  destruc 
tion,  for  Numa  would  doubtless  be  too  jealous 
of  this  future  meal  to  permit  it  to  escape  with 
ease.  And  yet,  too,  there  was  another  possi 
bility — a  chance  which  hinged  entirely  upon 
the  unknown  temper  of  the  great  beast. 

His  belly  already  partially  filled,  he  might 
watch  with  indifference  the  departure  of  the 
girl ;  yet  could  she  afford  to  choice  so  improb 
able  a  contingency?  She  doubted  it.  Upon 
the  other  hand  she  was  no  more  minded  to  allow 
this  frail  opportunity  for  life  to  entirely  elude 
her  without  taking  or  attempting  to  take  some 
advantage  from  it. 

She  watched  the  lion  narrowly.  He  could 
not  see  her  without  turning  his  head  more  than 
halfway  around.  She  would  attempt  a  ruse. 
Silently  she  rolled  over  in  the  direction  of  the 
nearest  tree,  and  away  from  the  lion,  until  she 
lay  again  in  the  same  position  in  which  Numa 
had  left  her,  but  a  few  feet  farther  from  him. 

Here  she  lay  breathless  watching  the  lion; 
but  the  beast  gave  no  indication  that  he  had 

259 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

heard  aught  to  arouse  his  suspicions.  Again 
she  rolled  over,  gaining  a  few  more  feet  and 
again  she  lay  in  rigid  contemplation  of  the 
beast's  back. 

During  what  seemed  hours  to  her  tense 
nerves,  Jane  Clayton  continued  these  tactics, 
and  still  the  lion  fed  on  in  apparent  uncon 
sciousness  that  his  second  prey  was  escaping 
him.  Already  the  girl  was  but  a  few  paces 
from  the  tree — a  moment  more  and  she  would 
be  close  enough  to  chance  springing  to  her 
feet,  throwing  caution  aside  and  making  a  sud 
den,  bold  dash  for  safety.  She  was  halfway 
over  in  her  turn,  her  face  away  from  the  lion, 
when  he  suddenly  turned  his  great  head  and 
fastened  his  eyes  upon  her.  He  saw  her  roll 
over  upon  her  side  away  from  him,  and  then 
her  eyes  were  turned  again  toward  him,  and  the 
cold  sweat  broke  from  the  girl's  every  pore  as 
she  realized  that  with  life  almost  within  her 
grasp,  death  had  found  her  out. 

For  a  long  time  neither  the  girl  nor  the  lion 
moved.  The  beast  lay  motionless,  his  head 
turned  upon  his  shoulders  and  his  glaring  eyes 
fixed  upon  the  rigid  victim,  now  nearly  fifty 
yards  away.  The  girl  stared  back  straight  into 

260 


JANE  AND  THE  BEASTS  OF  THE  JUNGLE 

those  cruel  orbs,  daring  not  to  move  even  a 
muscle. 

The  strain  upon  her  nerves  was  becoming 
so  unbearable  that  she  could  scarcely  restrain 
a  growing  desire  to  scream,  when  Numa  de 
liberately  turned  back  to  the  business  of  feed 
ing;  but  his  back-layed  ears  attested  a  sinister 
regard  for  the  actions  of  the  girl  behind  him. 

Eealizing  that  she  could  not  again  turn  with 
out  attracting  his  immediate  and  perhaps 
fatal  attention,  Jane  Clayton  resolved  to  risk 
all  in  one  last  attempt  to  reach  the  tree  and 
clamber  to  the  lower  branches. 

Gathering  herself  stealthily  for  the  effort, 
she  leaped  suddenly  to  her  feet,  but  almost 
simultaneously  the  lion  sprang  up,  wheeled  and 
with  wide-distended  jaws  and  terrific  roars, 
charged  swiftly  down  upon  her. 

Those  who  have  spent  lifetimes  hunting  the 
big  game  of  Africa  will  tell  you  that  scarcely 
any  other  creature  in  the  world  attains  the 
speed  of  a  charging  lion.  For  the  short  dis 
tance  that  the  great  cat  can  maintain  it,  it 
resembles  nothing  more  closely  than  the  on- 
rushing  of  a  giant  locomotive  under  full  speed, 
and  so,  though  the  distance  that  Jane  Clayton 

261 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

must  cover  was  relatively  small,  the  terrific 
speed  of  the  lion  rendered  her  hopes  of  escape 
almost  negligible. 

Yet  fear  can  work  wonders,  and  though  the 
upward  spring  of  the  lion  as  he  neared  the 
tree  into  which  she  was  scrambling  brought  his 
talons  in  contact  with  her  boots  she  eluded  his 
raking  grasp,  and  as  he  hurtled  against  the 
bole  of  her  sanctuary,  the  girl  drew  herself  into 
the  safety  of  the  branches  above  his  reach. 

For  some  time  the  lion  paced,  growling  and 
moaning,  beneath  the  tree  in  which  Jane  Clay 
ton  crouched,  panting  and  trembling.  The  girl 
was  a  prey  to  the  nervous  reaction  from  the 
frightful  ordeal  through  which  she  had  so  re 
cently  passed,  and  in  her  overwrought  state  it 
seemed  that  never  again  should  she  dare 
descend  to  the  ground  among  the  fearsome  dan 
gers  which  infested  the  broad  stretch  of  jungle 
that  she  knew  must  lie  between  herself  and  the 
nearest  village  of  her  faithful  Waziri. 

It  was  almost  dark  before  the  lion  finally  quit 
the  clearing,  and  even  had  his  place  beside  the 
remnants  of  the  mangled  ape  not  been  imme 
diately  usurped  by  a  pack  of  hyenas,  Jane  Clay 
ton  would  scarcely  have  dared  venture  from 

262 


JANE  AND  THE  BEASTS  OF  THE  JUNGLE 

her  refuge  in  the  face  of  impending  night,  and 
so  she  composed  herself  as  best  she  could  for 
the  long  and  tiresome  wait,  until  daylight  might 
offer  some  means  of  escape  from  the  dread  vi 
cinity  in  which  she  had  witnessed  such  terrify 
ing  adventures. 

Tired  nature  at  last  overcame  even  her  fears, 
and  she  dropped  into  a  deep  slumber,  cradled 
in  a  comparatively  safe,  though  rather  uncom 
fortable,  position  against  the  bole  of  the  tree, 
and  supported  by  two  large  branches  which 
grew  outward,  almost  horizontally,  but  a  few 
inches  apart. 

The  sun  was  high  in  the  heavens  when  she 
at  last  awoke,  and  beneath  her  was  no  sign 
either  of  Numa  or  the  hyenas.  Only  the  clean- 
picked  bones  of  the  ape,  scattered  about  the 
ground,  attested  the  fact  of  what  had  trans 
pired  in  this  seemingly  peaceful  spot  but  a 
few  hours  before. 

Both  hunger  and  thirst  assailed  her  now,  and 
realizing  that  she  must  descend  or  die  of  starva 
tion,  she  at  last  summoned  courage  to  under 
take  the  ordeal  of  continuing  her  journey 
through  the  jungle. 

Descending  from  the  tree,  she  set  out  in  a 
263 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

southerly  direction,  toward  the.  [point  where 
she  believed  the  plains  of  Waziri  lay,  and 
though  she  knew  that  only  ruin  and  desolation 
marked  the  spot  where  once  her  happy  home 
had  stood,  she  hoped  that  by  coming  to  the 
broad  plain  she  might  eventually  reach  one  of 
the  numerous  Waziri  villages  that  were  scat 
tered  over  the  surrounding  country,  or  chance 
upon  a  roving  band  of  these  indefatigable 
huntsmen. 

The  day  was  half  spent  when  there  broke 
unexpectedly  upon  her  startled  ears  the  sound 
of  a  rifle  shot  not  far  ahead  of  her.  As  she 
paused  to  listen,  this  first  shot  was  followed 
by  another  and  another  and  another.  What 
could  it  mean?  The  first  explanation  which 
sprung  to  her  mind  attributed  the  firing  to  an 
encounter  between  the  Arab  raiders  and  a  party 
of  Waziri ;  but  as  she  did  not  know  upon  which 
side  victory  might  rest,  or  whether  she  were 
behind  friend  or  foe,  she  dared  not  advance 
nearer  on  the  chance  of  revealing  herself  to  an 
enemy. 

After  listening  for  several  minutes  she  be 
came  convinced  that  no  more  than  two  or  three 
rifles  were  engaged  in  the  fight,  since  nothing 

264 


JANE  AND  THE  BEASTS  OF  THE  JUNGLE 

approximating  the  sound  of  a  volley  reached 
her  ears;  but  still  she  hesitated  to  approach, 
and  at  last,  determining  to  take  no  chance,  she 
climbed  into  the  concealing  foliage  of  a  tree 
beside  the  trail  she  had  been  following  and 
there  fearfully  awaited  whatever  might  reveal 
itself. 

As  the  firing  became  less  rapid  she  caught 
the  sound  of  men's  voices,  though  she  could 
distinguish  no  words,  and  at  last  the  reports 
of  the  guns  ceased,  and  she  heard  two  men  call 
ing  to  each  other  in  loud  tones.  Then  there 
was  a  long  silence  which  was  finally  broken  by 
the  stealthy  padding  of  footfalls  on  the  trail 
ahead  of  her,  and  in  another  moment  a  man 
appeared  in  view  backing  toward  her,  a  rifle 
ready  in  his  hands,  and  his  eyes  directed  in 
careful  watchfulness  along  the  way  that  he 
had  come. 

Almost  instantly  Jane  Clayton  recognized  the 
man  as  M.  Jules  Frecoult,  who  so  recently  had 
been  a  guest  in  her  home.  She  was  upon  the 
point  of  calling  to  him  in  glad  relief  when  she 
saw  him  leap  quickly  to  one  side  and  hide  him 
self  in  the  thick  verdure  at  the  trail's  side.  It 
was  evident  that  he  was  being  followed  by  an 

265 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

enemy,  and  so  Jane  Clayton  kept  silence,  lest 
she  distract  Frecoult 's  attention,  or  guide  his 
foe  to  his  hiding  place. 

Scarcely  had  Frecoult  hidden  himself  than 
the  figure  of  a  white-robed  Arab  crept  silently 
along  the  trail  in  pursuit.  From  her  hiding 
place,  Jane  Clayton  could  see  both  men  plainly. 
She  recognized  Achmet  Zek  as  the  leader  of  the 
band  of  ruffians  who  had  raided  her  home  and 
made  her  a  prisoner,  and  as  she  saw  Frecoult, 
the  supposed  friend  and  ally,  raise  his  gun  and 
take  careful  aim  at  the  Arab,  her  heart  stood 
still  and  every  power  of  her  soul  was  directed 
upon  a  fervent  prayer  for  the  accuracy  of  his 
aim. 

Achmet  Zek  paused  in  the  middle  of  the  trail. 
His  keen  eyes  scanned  every  bush  and  tree 
within  the  radius  of  his  vision.  His  tall  figure 
presented  a  perfect  target  to  the  perfidious 
assassin.  There  was  a  sharp  report,  and  a 
little  puff  of  smoke  arose  from  the  bush  that  hid 
the  Belgian,  as  Achmet  Zek  stumbled  forward 
and  pitched,  face  down,  upon  the  trail. 

As  Werper  stepped  back  into  the  trail,  he  was 
startled  by  the  sound  of  a  glad  cry  from  above 
him,  and  as  he  wheeled  about  to  discover  the 

266 


JANE  AND  THE  BEASTS  OF  THE  JUNGLE 

author  of  this  unexpected  interruption,  he  saw 
Jane  Clayton  drop  lightly  from  a  nearby  tree 
and  run  forward  with  outstretched  hands  to 
congratulate  him  upon  his  victory. 


267 


CHAPTER  XX 

JANE  CLAYTON  AGAIN  A  PRISONEB 

THOUGH  her  clothes  were  torn  and  her 
hair  disheveled,  Albert  Werper  realized 
that  he  never  before  had  looked  upon  such  a 
vision  of  loveliness  as  that  which  Lady  Grey- 
stoke  presented  in  the  relief  and  joy  which  she 
felt  in  coming  so  unexpectedly  upon  a  friend 
and  rescuer  when  hope  had  seemed  so  far  away. 

If  the  Belgian  had  entertained  any  doubts 
as  to  the  woman's  knowledge  of  his  part  in  the 
perfidious  attack  upon  her  home  and  herself, 
it  was  quickly  dissipated  by  the  genuine  friend 
liness  of  her  greeting.  She  told  him  quickly 
of  all  that  had  befallen  her  since  he  had  de 
parted  from  her  home,  and  as  she  spoke  of  the 
death  of  her  husband  her  eyes  were  veiled  by 
the  tears  which  she  could  not  repress. 

"  I  am  shocked,"  said  Werper,  in  well-simu 
lated  sympathy;  "but  I  am  not  surprised. 
That  devil  there,"  and  he  pointed  toward 
the  body  of  Achmet  Zek,  "has  terrorized  the 

268 


JANE  CLAYTON  AGAIN  A  PRISONER 

entire  country.  Your  Waziri  are  either  exter 
minated,  or  have  been  driven  out  of  their  coun 
try,  far  to  the  south.  The  men  of  Achmet  Zek 
occupy  the  plain  about  your  former  home — 
there  is  neither  sanctuary  nor  escape  in  that 
direction.  Our  only  hope  lies  in  traveling 
northward  as  rapidly  as  we  may,  of  coming 
to  the  camp  of  the  raiders  before  the  knowledge 
of  Achmet  Zek's  death  reaches  those  who  were 
left  there,  and  of  obtaining,  through  some  ruse, 
an  escort  toward  the  north. 

"  I  think  that  the  thing  can  be  accomplished, 
for  I  was  a  guest  of  the  raider's  before  I  knew 
the  nature  of  the  man,  and  those  at  the  camp 
are  not  aware  that  I  turned  against  him  when 
I  discovered  his  villainy. 

'  *  Come !  We  will  make  all  possible  haste  to 
reach  the  camp  before  those  who  accompanied 
Achmet  Zek  upon  his  last  raid  have  found  his 
body  and  carried  the  news  of  his  death  to  the 
cut-throats  who  remained  behind.  It  is  our 
only  hope,  Lady  Greystoke,  and  you  must  place 
your  entire  faith  in  me  if  I  am  to  succeed. 
Wait  for  me  here  a  moment  while  I  take  from 
the  Arab's  body  the  wallet  that  he  stole 
from  me,"  and  Werper  stepped  quickly  to  the 

269 


TABZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  QPAB 

dead  man's  side,  and,  kneeling,  sought  with 
quick  fingers  the  pouch  of  jewels.  To  his  con 
sternation,  there  was  no  sign  of  them  in  the 
garments  of  Achmet  Zek.  Rising,  he  walked 
back  along  the  trail,  searching  for  some  trace 
of  the  missing  pouch  or  its  contents;  but  he 
found  nothing,  even  though  he  searched  care 
fully  the  vicinity  of  his  dead  horse,  and  for 
a  few  paces  into  the  jungle  on  either  side.  Puz 
zled,  disappointed  and  angry,  he  at  last  re 
turned  to  the  girl.  "  The  wallet  is  gone,"  he 
explained,  crisply, "  and  I  dare  not  delay  longer 
in  search  of  it.  We  must  reach  the  camp  before 
the  returning  raiders. " 

Unsuspicious  of  the  man's  true  character, 
Jane  Clayton  saw  nothing  peculiar  in  his  plans, 
or  in  his  specious  explanation  of  his  former 
friendship  for  the  raider,  and  so  she  grasped 
with  alacrity  the  seeming  hope  for  safety  which 
he  proffered  her,  and  turning  about  she  set  out 
with  Albert  Werper  toward  the  hostile  camp 
in  which  she  so  lately  had  been  a  prisoner. 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  second  day 
before  they  reached  their  destination,  and  as 
they  paused  upon  the  edge  of  the  clearing  be 
fore  the  gates  of  the  walled  village,  Werper 

270 


JANE  CLAYTON  AGAIN  A  PRISONER 

cautioned  the  girl  to  accede  to  whatever  he 
might  suggest  by  his  conversation  with  the 
raiders. 

"  I  shall  tell  them,"  he  said,  "  that  I  appre 
hended  you  after  you  escaped  from  the  camp, 
that  I  took  you  to  Achmet  Zek,  and  that  as  he 
was  engaged  in  a  stubborn  battle  with  the  Wa- 
ziri,  he  directed  me  to  return  to  camp  with 
you,  to  obtain  here  a  sufficient  guard,  and  to 
ride  north  with  you  as  rapidly  as  possible  and 
dispose  of  you  at  the  most  advantageous  terms 
to  a  certain  slave  broker  whose  name  he  gave 
me." 

Again  the  girl  was  deceived  by  the  appar 
ent  frankness  of  the  Belgian,  She  realized 
that  desperate  situations  required  desperate 
handling,  and  though  she  trembled  inwardly 
at  the  thought  of  again  entering  the  vile  and 
hideous  village  of  the  raiders  she  saw  no  bet 
ter  course  than  that  which  her  companion  had 
suggested. 

Calling  aloud  to  those  who  tended  the  gates, 
Werper,  grasping  Jane  Clayton  by  the  arm, 
walked  boldly  across  the  clearing.  Those  who 
opened  the  gates  to  him  permitted  their  sur 
prise  to  show  clearly  in  their  expressions. 

271 


TABZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

That  the  discredited  and  hunted  lieutenant 
should  be  thus  returning  fearlessly  of  his  own 
volition,  seemed  to  disarm  them  quite  as  ef 
fectually  as  his  manner  toward  Lady  Greystoke 
had  deceived  her. 

The  sentries  at  the  gate  returned  Werper's 
salutations,  and  viewed  with  astonishment  the 
prisoner  whom  he  brought  into  the  village  with 
him. 

Immediately  the  Belgian  sought  the  Arab 
who  had  been  left  in  charge  of  the  camp  during 
Achmet  Zek's  absence,  and  again  his  boldness 
disarmed  suspicion  and  won  the  acceptance  of 
his  false  explanation  of  his  return.  The  fact 
that  he  had  brought  back  with  him  the  woman 
prisoner  who  had  escaped,  added  strength  to 
his  claims,  and  Mohammed  Beyd  soon  found 
himself  fraternizing  good-naturedly  with  the 
very  man  whom  he  would  have  slain  without 
compunction  had  he  discovered  him  alone  in  the 
jungle  a  half  hour  before, 

Jane  Clayton  was  again  confined  to  the  prison 
hut  she  had  formerly  occupied,  but  as  she  real 
ized  that  this  was  but  a  part  of  the  deception 
which  she  and  Frecoult  were  playing  upon  the 
credulous  raiders,  it  was  with  quite  a  different 

272 


JANE  CLAYTON  AGAIN  A  PRISONER 

sensation  that  she  again  entered  the  vile  and 
filthy  interior,  from  that  which  she  had 
previously  experienced,  when  hope  was  sx>  far 
away. 

Once  more  she  was  bound  and  sentries  placed 
before  the  door  of  her  prison ;  but  before  "Wer- 
per  left  her  he  whispered  words  of  cheer  into 
her  ear.  Then  he  left,  and  made  his  way  back 
to  the  tent  of  Mohammed  Beyd.  He  had  been 
wondering  how  long  it  would  be  before  the 
raiders  who  had  ridden  out  with  Achmet  Zek 
would  return  with  the  murdered  body  of  their 
chief,  and  the  more  he  thought  upon  the  matter 
the  greater  his  fears  became,  that  without  ac 
complices  his  plan  would  fail. 

What,  -even,  if  he  got  away  from  the  camp 
in  safety  before  any  returned  with  the  true 
story  of  his  guilt — of  what  value  would  this 
advantage  be  other  than  to  protract  for  a  few 
days  his  mental  torture  and  his  life?  These 
hard  riders,  familiar  with  every  trail  and  by 
path,  would  get  him  long  before  he  could  hope 
to  reach  the  coast. 

As  these  thoughts  passed  through  his  mind 
he  entered  the  tent  where  Mohammed  Beyd  sat 
cross-legged  upon  a  rug,  smoking.  The  Arab 

273 


TARZAN  AND  THE.  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

looked  up  as  the  European  came  into  his 
presence. 

"  Greetings,  0,  Brother!  "  he  said. 

"  Greetings!  "  replied  Werper. 

For  a  while  neither  spoke  further.  The  Arab 
was  the  first  to  break  the  silence. 

"  And  my  master,  Achmet  Zek,  was*  well  when 
last  you  saw  him?  "  he  asked. 

' '  Never  was  he  safer  from  the  sins  and 
dangers  of  mortality/'  replied  the  Belgian. 

"It  is  well,"  said  Mohammed  Beyd,  blow 
ing  a  little  puff  of  blue  smoke  straight  out  be 
fore  him. 

Again  there  was  silence  for  several  minutes. 

"  And  if  he  were  dead?  "  asked  the  Belgian, 
determined  to  lead  up  to  the  truth,  and  attempt 
to  bribe  Mohammed  Beyd  into  his  service. 

The  Arab's  eyes  narrowed  and  he  leaned  for 
ward,  his  gaze  boring  straight  into  the  eyes  of 
the  Belgian. 

"  I  have  been  thinking  much,  Werper,  since 
you  returned  so  unexpectedly  to  the  camp  of 
the  man  whom  you  had  deceived,  and  who 
sought  you  with  death  in  his  heart.  I  have 
been  with  Achmet  Zek  for  many  years — his 
own  mother  never  knew  him  so  well  as  I.  He 

274 


JANE  CLAYTON  AGAIN  A  PRISONER 

never  forgives — much  less  would  he  again 
trust  a  man  who  had  once  betrayed  him;  that 
I  know. 

"  I  have  thought  much,  as  I  said,  and  the  re 
sult  of  my  thinking  has  assured  me  that  Achmet 
Zek  is  dead — for  otherwise  you  would  never 
have  dared  return  to  his  camp,  unless  you  be 
either  a  braver  man  or  a  bigger  fool  than  I 
have  imagined.  And,  if  this  evidence  of  my 
judgment  is  not  sufficient,  I  have  but  just  now 
received  from  your  own  lips  even  more  confirm 
atory  witness  —  for  did  you  not  say  that  Achmet 
Zek  was  never  more  safe  from  the  sins  and 
dangers  of  mortality? 

"  Achmet  Zek  is  dead — you  need  not  deny 
it.  I  was  not  his  mother,  or  his  mistress,  so 
do  not  fear  that  my  wailings  shall  disturb  you. 
Tell  me  why  you  have  come  back  here.  Tell 
me  what  you  want,  and,  Werper,  if  you  still 
possess  the  jewels  of  which  Achmet  Zek  told 
me,  there  is  no  reason  why  you  and  I  should 
not  ride  north  together  and  divide  the  ransom 
of  the  white  woman  and  the  contents  of  the 
pouch  you  wear  about  your  person.  Eh?  " 

The  evil  eyes  narrowed,  a  vicious,  thin-lipped 
smile  tortured  the  villainous  face,  as  Mo- 

275 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

hammed  Beyd  grinned  knowingly  into  the  face 
of  the  Belgian. 

Werper  was  both  relieved  and  disturbed  by 
the  Arab's  attitude.  The  complacency  with 
which  he  accepted  the  death  of  his  chief  lifted 
a  considerable  burden  of  apprehension  from 
the  shoulders  of  Achmet  Zek's  assassin;  but  his 
demand  for  a  share  of  the  jewels  boded  ill  for 
Werper  when  Mohammed  Beyd  should  have 
learned  that  the  precious  stones  were  no  longer 
in  the  Belgian's  possession. 

To  acknowledge  that  he  had  lost  the  jewels 
might  be  to  arouse  the  wrath  or  suspicion  of 
the  Arab  to  such  an  extent  as  would  jeopardize 
his  new-found  chances  of  escape.  His  one  hope 
seemed,  then,  to  lie  in  fostering  Mohammed 
Beyd's  belief  that  the  jewels  were  still  in  his 
possession,  and  depend  upon  the  accidents  of 
the  future  to  open  an  avenue  of  escape. 

Could  he  contrive  to  tent  with  the  Arab  upon 
the  march  north,  he  might  find  opportunity  in 
plenty  to  remove  this  menace  to  his  life  and 
liberty — it  was  worth  trying,  and,  further, 
there  seemed  no  other  way  out  of  his  difficulty. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  "  Achmet  Zek  is  dead.  He 
fell  in  battle  with  a  company  of  Abyssinian 

276 


JANE  CLAYTON  AGAIN  A  PRISONER 

cavalry  that  held  me  captive.  During  the  fight 
ing  I  escaped;  but  I  doubt  if  any  of  Achmet 
Zek's  men  live,  and  the  gold  they  sought  is  in 
the  possession  of  the  Abyssinians.  Even  now 
they  are  doubtless  marching  on  this  camp,  for 
they  were  sent  by  Menelek  to  punish  Achmet 
Zek  and  his  followers  for  a  raid  upon  an  Abys 
sinian  village.  There  are  many  of  them,  and 
if  we  do  not  make  haste  to  escape  we  shall  all 
suffer  the  same  fate  as  Achmet  Zek." 

Mohammed  Beyd  listened  in  silence.  How 
much  of  the  unbeliever's  story  he  might  safely 
believe  he  did  not  know ;  but  as  it  afforded  him 
an  excuse  for  deserting  the  village  and  making 
for  the  north  he  was  not  inclined  to  cross-ques 
tion  the  Belgian  too  minutely. 

"  And  if  I  ride  north  with  you,"  he  asked, 
"half  the  jewels  and  half  the  ransom  of  the 
woman  shall  be  mine?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  Werper. 

"  Good,"  said  Mohammed  Beyd.  "  I  go  now 
to  give  the  order  for  the  breaking  of  camp  early 
on  the  morrow,"  and  he  rose  to  leave  the  tent. 

Werper  laid  a  detaining  hand  upon  his  arm. 

"Wait,"  he  said,  "let  us  determine  how 
many  shall  accompany  us.  It  is  not  well  that  we 

277 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

be  burdened  by  the  women  and  children,  for 
then  indeed  we  might  be  overtaken  by  the  Abys- 
sinians.  It  would  be  far  better  to  select  a  small 
guard  of  your  bravest  men,  and  leave  word  be 
hind  that  we  are  riding  west.  Then,  when  the 
Abyssinians  come  they  will  be  put  upon  the 
wrong  trail  should  they  have  it  in  their  hearts 
to  pursue  us,  and  if  they  do  not  they  will  at 
least  ride  north  with  less  rapidity  than  as 
though  they  thought  that  we  were  ahead  of 
them." 

"  The  serpent  is  less  wise  than  thou,  Wer- 
per,"  said  Mohammed  Beyd  with  a  smile.  "  It 
shall  be  done  as  you  say.  Twenty  men  shall  ac 
company  us,  and  we  shall  ride  west — when  we 
leave  the  village." 

"  Good,"  cried  the  Belgian,  and  so  it  was  ar 
ranged. 

Early  the  next  morning  Jane  Clayton,  after 
an  almost  sleepless  night,  was  aroused  by  the 
sound  of  voices  outside  her  prison,  and  a  mo 
ment  later,  M.  Frecoult,  and  two  Arabs  en 
tered.  The  latter  unbound  her  ankles  and  lifted 
her  to  her  feet.  Then  her  wrists  were  loosed, 
she  was  given  a  handful  of  dry  bread,  and  led 
out  into  the  faint  light  of  dawn. 

278 


JANE  CLAYTON  AGAIN  A  PRISONER 

She  looked  questioningly  at  Freeoult,  and  at 
a  moment  that  the  Arab's  attention  was  at 
tracted  in  another  direction  the  man  leaned 
toward  her  and  whispered  that  all  was  working 
out  as  he  had  planned.  Thus  assured,  the  young 
woman  felt  a  renewal  of  the  hope  which  the 
long  and  miserable  night  of  bondage  had  al 
most  expunged. 

Shortly  after,  she  was  lifted  to  the  back  of  a 
horse,  and  surrounded  by  Arabs,  was  escorted 
through  the  gateway  of  the  village  and  off  into 
the  jungle  toward  the  west.  Half  an  hour  later 
the  party  turned  north,  and  northerly  was  their 
direction  for  the  balance  of  the  march. 

M.  Frecoult  spoke  with  her  but  seldom,  and 
she  understood  that  in  carrying  out  his  decep 
tion  he  must  maintain  the  semblance  of  her  cap 
tor,  rather  than  protector,  and  so  she  suspected 
nothing  though  she  saw  the  friendly  relations 
which  seemed  to  exist  between  the  European 
and  the  Arab  leader  of  the  band. 

If  Werper  succeeded  in  keeping  himself  from 
conversation  with  the  young  woman,  he  failed 
signally  to  expel  her  from  his  thoughts.  A  hun 
dred  times  a  day  he  found  his  eyes  wandering 
in  her  direction  and  feasting  themselves  upon 

279 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

her  charms  of  face  and  figure.  Each  hour  his 
infatuation  for  her  grew,  until  his  desire  to  pos 
sess  her  gained  almost  the  proportions  of  mad 
ness. 

If  either  the  girl  or  Mohammed  Beyd  could 
have  guessed  what  passed  in  the  mind  of  the 
man  which  each  thought  a  friend  and  ally,  the 
apparent  harmony  of  the  little  company  would 
have  been  rudely  disturbed. 

Werper  had  not  succeeded  in  arranging  to 
tent  with  Mohammed  Beyd,  and  so  he  revolved 
many  plans  for  the  assassination  of  the  Arab 
that  would  have  been  greatly  simplified  had  he 
been  permitted  to  share  the  other's  nightly 
shelter. 

Upon  the  second  day  out  Mohammed  Beyd 
reined  his  horse  to  the  side  of  the  animal  on 
which  the  captive  was  mounted.  It  was,  ap 
parently,  the  first  notice  which  the  Arab  had 
taken  of  the  girl ;  but  many  times  during  these 
two  days  had  his  cunning  eyes  peered  greedily 
from  beneath  the  hood  of  his  burnoose  to  gloat 
upon  the  beauties  of  the  prisoner. 

Nor  was  this  hidden  infatuation  of  any  re 
cent  origin.  He  had  conceived  it  when  first  the 
wife  of  the  Englishman  had  fallen  into  the 

280 


JANE  CLAYTON  AGAIN  A  PRISONER 

hands  of  Achmet  Zek;  but  while  that  austere 
chieftain  lived,  Mohammed  Beyd  had  not  even 
dared  hope  for  a  realization  of  his  imaginings. 

Now,  though,  it  was  different — only  a  de 
spised  dog  of  a  Christian  stood  between  him 
self  and  possession  of  the  girl.  How  easy  it 
would  be  to  slay  the  unbeliever,  and  take  unto 
himself  both  the  woman  and  the  jewels !  With 
the  latter  in  his  possession,  the  ransom  which 
might  be  obtained  for  the  captive  would  form  no 
great  inducement  to  her  relinquishment  in  the 
face  of  the  pleasures  of  sole  ownership  of  her. 
Yes,  he  would  kill  Werper,  retain  all  the  jewels 
and  keep  the  Englishwoman. 

He  turned  his  eyes  upon  her  as  she  rode  along 
at  his  side.  How  beautiful  she  was !  His  fin 
gers  opened  and  closed — skinny,  brown  talons 
itching  to  feel  the  soft  flesh  of  the  victim  in 
their  remorseless  clutch. 

"Do  you  know,"  he  asked,  leaning  toward 
her,  "  where  this  man  would  take  you?  " 

Jane  Clayton  nodded  affirmatively. 

"And  you  are  willing  to  become  the  play 
thing  of  a  black  sultan?  " 

The  girl  drew  herself  up  to  her  full  height, 
and  turned  her  head  away;  but  she  did  not  re- 

281 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAK 

ply.  She  feared  lest  her  knowledge  of  the  ruse 
that  M.  Frecoult  was  playing  upon  the  Arab 
might  cause  her  to  betray  herself  through  an  in 
sufficient  display  of  terror  and  aversion. 

"You  can  escape  this  fate,"  continued  the 
Arab;  "  Mohammed  Beyd  will  save  you,"  and 
he  reached  out  a  brown  hand  and  seized  the 
fingers  of  her  right  hand  in  a  grasp  so  sudden 
and  so  fierce  that  his  brutal  passion  was  re 
vealed  as  clearly  in  the  act  as  though  his  lips 
had  confessed  it  in  words. 

Jane  Clayton  wrenched  herself  from  his 
grasp. 

' '  You  beast ! ' '  she  cried.  '  '  Leave  me  or  I 
shall  call  M.  Frecoult." 

Mohammed  Beyd  drew  back  with  a  scowl. 
His  thin,  upper  lip  curled  upward,  revealing 
his  smooth,  white  teeth. 

"M.  Frecoult?"  he  jeered.  "There  is  no 
such  person.  The  man's  name  is  Werper.  He 
is  a  liar,  a  thief,  and  a  murderer.  He  killed 
his  captain  in  the  Congo  country  and  fled  to 
the  protection  of  Achmet  Zek.  He  led  Ach- 
met  Zek  to  the  plunder  of  your  home.  He  fol 
lowed  your  husband,  and  planned  to  steal  his 
gold  from  him.  He  has  told  me  that  you  think 

282 


JANE  CLAYTON  AGAIN  A  PRISONER 

him  your  protector,  and  he  has  played  upon  this 
to  win  your  confidence  that  it  might  be  easier 
to  carry  you  north  and  sell  you  into  some  black 
sultan 's  harem.  Mohammed  Beyd  is  your  only 
hope,"  and  with  this  assertion  to  provide  the 
captive  with  food  for  thought,  the  Arab  spurred 
forward  toward  the  head  of  the  column. 

Jane  Clayton  could  not  know  how  much  of 
Mohammed  Beyd's  indictment  might  be  true, 
or  how  much  false ;  but  at  least  it  had  the  effect 
of  dampening  her  hopes  and  causing  her  to  re 
view  with  suspicion  every  past  act  of  the  man 
upon  whom  she  had  been  looking  as  her  sole 
protector  in  the  midst  of  a  world  of  enemies 
and  dangers. 

On  the  march  a  separate  tent  had  been  pro 
vided  for  the  captive,  and  at  night  it  was  pitched 
between  those  of  Mohammed  Beyd  and  Werper. 
A  sentry  was  posted  at  the  front  and  another  at 
the  back,  and  with  these  precautions  it  had  not 
been  thought  necessary  to  confine  the  prisoner 
in  bonds. 

The  evening  following  her  interview  with  Mo 
hammed  Beyd,  Jane  Clayton  sat  for  some  time 
at  the  opening  of  her  tent  watching  the  rough 
activities  of  the  camp.  She  had  eaten  the  meal 

283 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

that  had  been  brought  her  by  Mohammed 
Beyd's  negro  slave — a  meal  of  cassava  cakes 
and  a  nondescript  stew  in  which  a  new-killed 
monkey,  a  couple  of  squirrels  and  the  remains  of 
a  zebra,  slain  the  previous  day,  were  impar 
tially  and  unsavorily  combined;  but  the  one 
time  Baltimore  belle  had  long  since  submerged 
in  the  stern  battle  for  existence,  an  estheticism 
which  formerly  revolted  at  much  slighter 
provocation. 

As  the  girl's  eyes  wandered  across  the  tram 
pled  jungle  clearing,  already  squalid  from  the 
presence  of  man,  she  no  longer  apprehended 
either  the  nearer  objects  of  the  foreground,  the 
uncouth  men  laughing  or  quarreling  among 
themselves,  or  the  jungle  beyond,  which  circum 
scribed  the  extreme  range  of  her  material 
vision.  Her  gaze  passed  through  all  these,  un 
seeing,  to  center  itself  upon  a  distant  bunga 
low  and  scenes  of  happy  security  which  brought 
to  her  eyes  tears  of  mingled  joy  and  sorrow. 
She  saw  a  tall,  broad-shouldered  man  riding 
in  from  distant  fields ;  she  saw  herself  waiting 
to  greet  him  with  an  armful  of  fresh-cut  roses 
from  the  bushes  which  flanked  the  little  rustic 
gate  before  her.  All  this  was  gone,  vanished 

284 


JANE  CLAYTON  AGAIN  A  PRISONER 

into  the  past,  wiped  out  by  the  torches  and 
bullets  and  hatred  of  these  hideous  and  de 
generate  men.  With  a  stifled  sob,  and  a  lit 
tle  shudder,  Jane  Clayton  turned  back  into  her 
tent  and  sought  the  pile  of  unclean  blankets 
which  were  her  bed.  Throwing  herself  face 
downward  upon  them  she  sobbed  forth  her  mis 
ery  until  kindly  sleep  brought  her,  at  least  tem 
porary,  relief. 

And  while  she  slept  a  figure  stole  from  the 
tent  that  stood  to  the  right  of  hers.  It  ap 
proached  the  sentry  before  the  doorway  and 
whispered  a  few  words  in  the  man's  ear.  The 
latter  nodded,  and  strode  off  through  the  dark 
ness  in  the  direction  of  his  own  blankets.  The 
figure  passed  to  the  rear  of  Jane  Clayton's 
tent  and  spoke  again  to  the  sentry  there,  and 
this  man  also  left,  following  in  the  trail  of  the 
first. 

Then  he  who  had  sent  them  away  stole 
silently  to  the  tent  flap  and  untying  the  fasten 
ings  entered  with  the  noiselessness  of  a  disem 
bodied  spirit. 


285 


CHAPTEB  XXI 

THE  FLIGHT  TO  THE  JUNGLE 

QLEEPLESS  upon  his  blankets,  Albert  Wer- 
O  per  let  his  evil  mind  dwell  upon  the  charms 
of  the  woman  in  the  nearby  tent.  He  had  noted 
Mohammed  Beyd's  sudden  interest  in  the  girl, 
and  judging  the  man  by  his  own  standards,  had 
guessed  at  the  basis  of  the  Arab's  sudden 
change  of  attitude  toward  the  prisoner. 

And  as  he  let  his  imaginings  run  riot  they 
aroused  within  him  a  bestial  jealousy  of  Mo 
hammed  Beyd,  and  a  great  fear  that  the  other 
might  encompass  his  base  designs  upon  the  de 
fenseless  girl.  By  a  strange  process  of  reason 
ing,  Werper,  whose  designs  were  identical  with 
the  Arab's,  pictured  himself  as  Jane  Clayton's 
protector,  and  presently  convinced  himself  that 
the  attentions  which  might  seem  hideous  to  her 
if  proffered  by  Mohammed  Beyd,  would  be  wel 
comed  from  Albert  Werper. 

Her  husband  was  dead,  and  Werper  fancied 
that  he  could  replace  in  the  girl's  heart  the  po- 

286 


THE  FLIGHT  TO  THE  JUNGLE 

sition  which  had  been  vacated  by  the  act  of 
the  grim  reaper.  He  could  offer  Jane  Clayton 
marriage — a  thing  which  Mohammed  Beyd 
would  not  offer,  and  which  the  girl  would  spurn 
from  him  with  as  deep  disgust  as  she  would  his 
unholy  lust. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  Belgian  had  suc 
ceeded  in  convincing  himself  that  the  captive 
not  only  had  every  reason  for  having  conceived 
sentiments  of  love  for  him ;  but  that  she  had  by 
various  feminine  methods  acknowledged  her 
new-bom  affection. 

And  then  a  sudden  resolution  possessed  him. 
He  threw  the  blankets  from  him  and  rose  to  his 
feet.  Pulling  on  his  boots  and  buckling  his  cart 
ridge  belt  and  revolver  about  his  hips  he 
stepped  to  the  flap  of  his  tent  and  looked  out. 
There  was  no  sentry  before  the  entrance  to 
the  prisoner's  tent !  What  could  it  mean?  Fate 
was  indeed  playing  into  his  hands. 

Stepping  outside  he  passed  to  the  rear  of  the 
girl's  tent.  There  was  no  sentry  there,  either! 
And  now,  boldly,  he  walked  to  the  entrance  and 
stepped  within. 

Dimly  the  moonlight  illumined  the  interior. 
Across  the  tent  a  figure  bent  above  the  blankets 
'  287 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

of  a  bed.  There  was  a  whispered  word,  and  an 
other  figure  rose  from  the  blankets  to  a  sitting 
position.  Slowly  Albert  Werper's  eyes  were 
becoming  accustomed  to  the  half  darkness  of 
the  tent.  He  saw  that  the  figure  leaning  over 
the  bed  was  that  of  a  man,  and  he  guessed  at 
the  truth  of  the  nocturnal  visitor's  identity. 

A  sullen,  jealous  rage  enveloped  him.  He 
took  a  step  in  the  direction  of  the  two.  He 
heard  a  frightened  cry  break  from  the  girl's 
lips  as  she  recognized  the  features  of  the  man 
above  her,  and  he  saw  Mohammed  Beyd  seize 
her  by  the  throat  and  bear  her  back  upon  the 
blankets. 

Cheated  passion  cast  a  red  blur  before  the 
eyes  of  the  Belgian.  No !  The  man  should  not 
have  her.  She  was  for  him  and  him  alone.  He 
would  not  be  robbed  of  his  rights. 

Quickly  he  ran  across  the  tent  and  threw  him 
self  upon  the  back  of  Mohammed  Beyd.  The 
latter,  though  surprised  by  this  sudden  and  un 
expected  attack,  was  not  one  to  give  up  with 
out  a  battle.  The  Belgian's  fingers  were  feel 
ing  for  his  throat,  but  the  Arab  tore  them  away, 
and  rising  wheeled  upon  his  adversary.  As 
they  faced  each  other  Werper  struck  the  Arab 

288 


THE  FLIGHT  TO  THE  JUNGLE 

a  heavy  blow  in  the  face,  sending  him  stagger 
ing  backward.  If  he  had  followed  up  his  ad 
vantage  he  would  have  had  Mohammed  Beyd 
at  his  mercy  in  another  moment;  but  instead 
he  tugged  at  his  revolver  to  draw  it  from  its 
holster,  and  Fate  ordained  that  at  that  par 
ticular  moment  the  weapon  should  stick  in  its 
leather  scabbard. 

Before  he  could  disengage  it,  Mohammed 
Beyd  had  recovered  himself  and  was  dashing 
upon  him.  Again  "Werper  struck  the  other  in 
the  face,  and  the  Arab  returned  the  blow.  Strik 
ing  at  each  other  and  ceaselessly  attempting  to 
clinch,  the  two  battled  about  the  small  interior 
of  the  tent,  while  the  girl,  wide-eyed  in  terror 
and  astonishment,  watched  the  duel  in  frozen 
silence. 

Again  and  again  Werper  struggled  to  draw 
his  weapon.  Mohammed  Beyd,  anticipating  no 
such  opposition  to  his  base  desires,  had  come  to 
the  tent  unarmed,  except  for  a  long  knife  which 
he  now  drew  as  he  stood  panting  during  the  first 
brief  rest  of  the  encounter. 

"  Dog  of  a  Christian,"  he  whispered,  "  look 
upon  this  knife  in  the  hands  of  Mohammed 
Beyd!  Look  well,  unbeliever,  for  it  is  the  last 

289 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

thing  in  life  that  you  shall  see  or  feel.  "With 
it  Mohammed  Beyd  will  cut  out  your  black 
heart.  If  you  have  a  God  pray  to  him  now — 
in  a  minute  more  you  shall  be  dead,"  and  with 
that  he  rushed  viciously  upon  the  Belgian,  his 
knife  raised  high  above  his  head. 

Werper  was  still  dragging  f  utilely  at  his  wea 
pon.  The  Arab  was  almost  upon  him.  In 
desperation  the  European  waited  until  Moham 
med  B  eyd  was  all  but  against  him,  then  he  threw 
himself  to  one  side  to  the  floor  of  the  tent,  leav 
ing  a  leg  extended  in  the  path  of  the  Arab. 

The  trick  succeeded.  Mohammed  Beyd,  car 
ried  on  by  the  momentum  of  his  charge,  stum 
bled  over  the  projecting  obstacle  and  crashed  to 
the  ground.  Instantly  he  was  up  again  and 
wheeling  to  renew  the  battle;  but  Werper  was 
on  foot  ahead  of  him,  and  now  his  revolver,  loos 
ened  from  its  holster,  flashed  in  his  hand. 

The  Arab  dove  headfirst  to  grapple  with  him, 
there  was  a  sharp  report,  a  lurid  gleam  of  flame 
in  the  darkness,  and  Mohammed  Beyd  rolled 
over  and  over  upon  the  floor  to  come  to  a  final 
rest  beside  the  bed  of  the  woman  he  had  sought 
to  dishonor. 

Almost  immediately  following  the  report 
290 


THE  FLIGHT  TO  THE  JUNGLE 

came  the  sound  of  excited  voices  in  the  camp 
without.  Men  were  calling  back  and  forth  to 
one  another  asking  the  meaning  of  the  shot. 
Werper  could  hear  them  running  hither  and 
thither,  investigating. 

Jane  Clayton  <had  risen  to  her  feet  as  the 
Arab  died,  and  now  she  came  forward  with  out 
stretched  hands  toward  Werper. 

"How  can  I  ever  thank  you,  my  friend?  " 
she  asked.  "And  to  think  that  only  today  I 
had  almost  believed  the  infamous  story  which 
this  beast  told  me  of  your  perfidy  and  of  your 
past.  Forgive  me,  M.  Frecoult.  I  might  have 
known  that  a  white  man  and  a  gentleman  could 
be  naught  else  than  the  protector  of  a  woman 
of  his  own  race  amid  the  dangers  of  this  savage 
land." 

Werper 's  hands  dropped  limply  at  his  sides. 
He  stood  looking  at  the  girl ;  but  he  could  find 
no  words  to  reply  to  her.  Her  innocent  arraign 
ment  of  his  true  purposes  was  unanswerable. 

Outside,  the  Arabs  were  searching  for  the 
author  of  the  disturbing  shot.  The  two  sen 
tries  who  had  been  relieved  and  sent  to  their 
blankets  by  Mohammed  Beyd  were  the  first  to 
suggest  going  to  the  tent  of  the  prisoner.  It 

291 


TABZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  Off  QPAB 

occurred  to  them  that  possibly  the  woman  had 
successfully  defended  herself  against  their 
leader. 

Werper  heard  the  men  approaching.  To  fee 
apprehended  as  the  slayer  of  Mohammed  Beyd 
would  be  equivalent  to  a  sentence  of  immediate 
death.  The  fierce  and  brutal  raiders  would  tear 
to  pieces  a  Christian  who  had  dared  spill  the 
blood  of  their  leader.  He  must  find  some  ex 
cuse  to  delay  the  finding  of  Mohammed  Beyd's 
dead  body. 

Beturning  his  revolver  to  its  holster,  he 
walked  quickly  to  the  entrance  of  the  tent. 
Parting  the  flaps  he  stepped  out  and  confronted 
the  men,  who  were  rapidly  approaching.  Some 
how  he  found  within  him  the  necessary  bravado 
to  force  a  smile  to  his  lips,  as  he  held  up  his 
hand  to  bar  their  farther  progress. 

"  The  woman  resisted,"  he  said,  "  and  Mo 
hammed  Beyd  was  forced  to  shoot  her.  She  is 
not  dead — only  slightly  wounded.  You  may 
go  back  to  your  blankets.  Mohammed  Beyd 
and  I  will  look  after  the  prisoner ;"  then  he 
turned  and  re-entered  the  tent,  and  the  raid 
ers,  satisfied  by  this  explanation,  gladly  re 
turned  to  their  broken  slumbers. 

292 


THE  FLIGHT  TO  THE  JUNGLE 

As  he  again  faced  Jane  Clayton,  Werper 
found  himself  animated  by  quite  different  in 
tentions  than  those  which  had  lured  him  from 
his  blankets  but  a  few  minutes  before.  The  ex 
citement  of  his  encounter  with  Mohammed 
Beyd,  as  well  as  the  dangers  which  he  now 
faced  at  the  hands  of  the  raiders  when  morn 
ing  must  inevitably  reveal  the  truth  of  what 
had  occurred  in  the  tent  of  the  prisoner  that 
night,  had  naturally  cooled  the  hot  passion 
which  had  dominated  him  when  he  entered  the 
tent. 

But  another  and  stronger  force  was  exert 
ing  itself  in  the  girl's  favor.  However  low  a 
man  may  sink,  honor  and  chivalry,  has  he  ever 
possessed  them,  are  never  entirely  eradicated 
from  his  character,  and  though  Albert  Werper 
had  long  since  ceased  to  evidence  the  slightest 
claim  to  either  the  one  or  the  other,  the  spon 
taneous  acknowledgment  of  them  which  the 
girPs  speech  had  presumed  had  reawakened 
them  both  within  him. 

For  the  first  time  he  realized  the  almost  hope 
less  and  frightful  position  of  the  fair  captive, 
an'd  the  depths  of  ignominy  to  which  he  had 
sunk,  that  had  made  it  possible  for  him,  a  well- 

293 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

born,  European  gentleman,  to  have  entertained 
even  for  a  moment  the  part  that  he  had  taken 
in  the  ruin  of  her  home,  happiness,  and  herself. 

Too  much  of  baseness  already  lay  at  the 
threshold  of  his  conscience  for  him  ever  to  hope 
entirely  to  redeem  himself;  but  in  the  first, 
sudden  burst  of  contrition  the  man  conceived 
an  honest  intention  to  undo,  in  so  far  as  lay 
within  his  power,  the  evil  that  his  criminal 
avarice  had  brought  upon  this  sweet  and  un 
offending  woman. 

As  he  stood  apparently  listening  to  the 
retreating  footsteps  of  the  Arabs,  though  actu 
ally  engrossed  in  thought,  Jane  Clayton  ap 
proached  him. 

"What  are  we  to  do  now?"  she  asked. 
"Morning  will  bring  discovery  of  this,"  and 
she  pointed  to  the  still  body  of  Mohammed 
Beyd.  "  They  will  kill  you  when  they  find 
him." 

For  a  time  Werper  did  not  reply,  then  he 
turned  suddenly  toward  the  woman. 

"  I  have  a  plan,"  he  cried.  "  It  will  require 
nerve  and  courage  on  your  part ;  but  you  have 
already  shown  that  you  possess  both.  Can 
you  endure  still  more?  " 

294 


THE  FLIGHT  TO  THE  JUNGLE 

"I  can  endure  anything,"  she  replied  with 
a  brave  smile,  "  that  may  offer  us  even  a  slight 
chance  for  escape. " 

"  You  must  simulate  death,"  he  explained, 
* '  while  I  carry  you  from  the  camp.  I  will 
explain  to  the  sentries  that  Mohammed  Beyd 
has  ordered  me  to  take  your  body  into  the  jun 
gle.  This  seemingly  unnecessary  act  I  shall 
explain  upon  the  grounds  that  Mohammed 
Beyd  had  conceived  a  violent  passion  for  you 
and  that  he  so  regretted  the  act  by  which  he 
had  become  your  slayer  that  he  could  not  en 
dure  the  silent  reproach  of  your  lifeless  body. ' ' 

The  girl  held  up  her  hand  to  stop.  A  smile 
touched  her  lips. 

"  Are  you  quite  mad?  "  she  asked.  "  Do  you 
imagine  that  the  sentries  will  credit  any  such 
ridiculous  tale?  " 

"  You  do  not  know  them,"  he  replied.  "  Be 
neath  their  rough  exteriors,  despite  their  cal 
loused  and  criminal  natures,  there  exists  in 
each  a  well-defined  strain  of  romantic  emotion 
alism — you  will  find  it  among  such  as  these 
throughout  the  world.  It  is  romance  which 
lures  men  to  lead  wild  lives  of  outlawry  and 
crime.  The  ruse  will  succeed — never  fear." 

295 


TABZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

Jane  Clayton  shrugged.  "We  can  but  try 
it — and  then  what?  " 

"  I  shall  hide  you  in  the  jungle,"  continued 
the  Belgian,  "  coming  for  you  alone  and  with 
two  horses  in  the  morning." 

"But  how  will  you  explain  Mohammed 
Beyd's  death?"  she  asked.  "It  will  be  dis 
covered  before  ever  you  can  escape  the  camp 
in  the  morning." 

"  I  shall  not  explain  it,"  replied  Werper. 
"Mohammed  Beyd  shall  explain  it  himself — 
we  must  leave  that  to  him.  Are  you  ready  for 
the  venture?  " 

"Yes." 

"  But  wait,  I  must  get  you  a  weapon  and  am 
munition,"  and  Werper  walked  quickly  from 
the  tent. 

Very  shortly  he  returned  with  an  extra 
revolver  and  ammunition  belt  strapped  about 
his  waist. 

"Are  you  ready?  "  he  asked. 

"Quite  ready,"  replied  the  girl. 

"  Then  come  and  throw  yourself  limply 
across  my  left  shoulder,"  and  Werper  knelt  to 
receive  her. 

"There,"  he  said,  as  he  rose  to  his  feet. 
296 


THE  FLIGHT  TO  THE  JUNGLE 

"  Now,  let  your  arms,  your  legs  and  your  head 
hang  limply.  Eemember  that  you  are  dead." 

A  moment  later  the  man  walked  out  into  the 
camp,  the  body  of  the  woman  across  his  shoul 
der. 

A  thorn  boma  had  been  thrown  up  about  the 
camp,  to  discourage  the  bolder  of  the  hungry 
carnivora.  A  couple  of  sentries  paced  to  and 
fro  in  the  light  of  a  fire  which  they  kept  burn 
ing  brightly.  The  nearer  of  these  looked  up  in 
surprise  as  he  saw  Werper  approaching. 

"Who  are  you?  "  he  cried.  "What  have 
you  there?  " 

Werper  raised  the  hood  of  his  burnoose  that 
the  fellow  might  see  his  face. 

"This  is  the  body  of  the  woman/'  he  ex 
plained.  "  Mohammed  Beyd  has  asked  me  to 
take  it  into  the  jungle,  for  he  cannot  bear  to 
look  upon  the  face  of  her  whom  he  loved,  and 
whom  necessity  compelled  him  to  slay.  He  suf 
fers  greatly — he  is  inconsolable.  It  was  with 
difficulty  that  I  prevented  him  taking  his  own 
life." 

Across  the  speaker's:  shoulder,  limp  and 
frightened,  the  girl  waited  for  the  Arab's  re 
ply.  He  would  laugh  at  this  preposterous 

297 


TABZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

story;  of  that  she  was  sure.  In  an  instant  lie 
would  unmask  the  deception  that  M.  Frecoult 
was  attempting  to  practice  upon  him,  and  they 
would  both  be  lost.  She  tried  to  plan  how  best 
she  might  aid  her  would-be  rescuer  in  the  fight 
which  must  most  certainly  follow  within  a  mo 
ment  or  two. 

Then  she  heard  the  voice  of  the  Arab  as  he 
replied  to  M.  Frecoult. 

' '  Are  you  going  alone,  or  do  you  wish  me 
to  awaken  someone  to  accompany  you? "  he 
asked,  and  his  tone  denoted  not  the  least  sur 
prise  that  Mohammed  Beyd  had  suddenly  dis 
covered  such  remarkably  sensitive  characteris- 
istics. 

"  I  shall  go  alone,"  replied  Werper,  and  he 
passed  on  and  out  through  the  narrow  open 
ing  in  the  boma,  by  which  the  sentry  stood. 

A  moment  later  he  had  entered  among  the 
boles  of  the  trees  with  Ms  burden,  and  when 
safely  hidden  from  the  sentry's  view  lowered 
the  girl  to  her  feet,  with  a  low,  "  Sh-sh,"  when 
she  would  have  spoken. 

Then  he  led  her  a  little  farther  into  the  for 
est,  halted  beneath  a  large  tree  with  spread 
ing  branches,  buckled  a;  cartridge  belt  and 

298 


THE  FLIGHT  TO  THE  JUNGLE 

revolver  about  her  waist,  and  assisted  her  to 
clamher  into  the  lower  branches.     . 

"  Tomorrow, "  he  whispered,  "  as  soon  as  I 
can  elude  them,  I  will  return  for  you.  Be  brave, 
Lady  Greystoke — we  may  yet  escape. " 

"  Thank  you,"  she  replied  in  a  low  tone. 
"  You  have  been  very  kind,  and  very  brave." 

Werper  did  not  reply,  and  the  darkness  of 
the  night  hid  the  scarlet  flush  of  shame  which 
swept  upward  across  his  face.  Quickly  he 
turned  and  made  his  way  back  to  camp.  The 
sentry,  from  his  post,  saw  him  enter  his  own 
tent;  but  he  did  not  see  him  crawl  under  the 
canvas  at  the  rear  and  sneak  cautiously  to 
the  tent  which  the  prisoner  had  occupied,  where 
now  lay  the  dead  body  of  Mohammed  Beyd. 

Eaising  the  lower  edge  of  the  rear  wall,  Wer 
per  crept  within  and  approached  the  corpse. 
Without  an  instant's  hesitation  he  seized  the 
dead  wrists  and  dragged  the  body  upon  its  back 
to  the  point  where  he  had  just  entered.  On 
hands  and  knees  he  backed  out  as  he  had  come 
in,  drawing  the  corpse  after  him.  Once  outside 
the  Belgian  crept  to  the  side  of  the  tent  and 
surveyed  as  much  of  the  camp  as  lay  within  his 
vision — no  one  was  watching. 

299 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

Beturning  to  the  body,  he  lifted  it  to  his 
shoulder,  and  risking  all  on  a  quick  sally,  ran 
swiftly  across  the  narrow  opening  which  sepa 
rated  the  prisoner's  tent  from  that  of  the  dead 
man.  Behind  the  silken  wall  he  halted  and 
lowered  his  burden  to  the  ground,  and  there  he 
remained  motionless  for  several  minutes,  lis 
tening. 

Satisfied,  at  last,  that  no  one  had  seen  him, 
he  stooped  and  raised  the  bottom  of  the  tent 
wall,  backed  in  and  dragged  the  thing  that  had 
been  Mohammed  Beyd  after  him.  To  the  sleep 
ing  rugs  of  the  dead  raider  he  drew  the  corpse, 
then  he  fumbled  about  in  the  darkness  until  he 
had  found  Mohammed  Beyd's  revolver.  With 
the  weapon  in  his  hand  lie  returned  to  the  side 
of  the  dead  man,  kneeled  beside  the  bedding, 
and  inserting  his  right  hand  with  the  weapon 
beneath  the  rugs,  piled  a  number  of  thicknesses 
of  the  closely  woven  fabric  over  and  about  the 
revolver  with  Ms  left  hand.  Then  he  pulled 
the  trigger,  and  at  the  same  instant  he  coughed. 

The  muffled  report  could  not  have  been  heard 
above  the  sound  of  his  cough  by  one  directly 
outside  the  tent.  Werper  was  satisfied.  A 
grim  smile  touched  his  lips  as  he  withdrew  the 

300 


THE  FLIGHT  TO  THE  JUNGLE 

weapon  from  the  rugs  and  placed  it  carefully 
in  the  right  hand  of  the  dead  man,  fixing  three 
of  the  fingers  around  the  grip  and  the  index 
finger  inside  the  trigger  guard. 

A  moment  longer  he  tarried  to  rearrange  the 
disordered  rugs,  and  then  he  left  as  he  had  en 
tered,  fastening  down  the  rear  wall  of  the  tent 
as  it  had  been  before  he  had  raised  it. 

Going  to  the  tent  of  the  prisoner  he  removed 
there  also  the  evidence  that  someone  might 
have  come  or  gone  beneath  the  rear  wall.  Then 
he  returned  to  his  own  tent,  entered,  fastened 
down  the  canvas,  and  crawled  into  his  blankets. 

The  following  morning  he  was  awakened  by 
the  excited  voice  of  Mohammed  Beyd's  slave 
calling  to  him  at  the  entrance  of  his  tent. 

*  '  Quick !  Quick ! '  >  cried  the  black  in  a  fright 
ened  tone.  "  Come !  Mohammed  Beyd  is  dead 
in  his  tent — dead  by  his  own  hand/' 

Werper  sat  up  quickly  in  his  blankets  at  the 
first  alarm,  a  startled  expression  upon  his  coun 
tenance;  but  at  the  last  words  of  the  black  a 
sigh  of  relief  escaped  his  lips  and  a  slight 
smile  replaced  the  tense  lines  upon  his  face. 

"  I  come,"  he  called  to  the  slave,  and  draw 
ing  on  his  boots,  rose  and  went  out  of  his  tent. 

301 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  QPAE 

Excited  Arabs  and  blacks  were  running  from 
all  parts  of  the  camp  toward  the  silken  tent  of 
Mohammed  Beyd,  and  when  Werper  entered  he 
found  a  number  of  the  raiders  crowded  about 
the  corpse,  now  cold  and  stiff. 

Shouldering  his  way  among  them,  the  Belgian 
halted  beside  the  dead  body  of  the  raider.  He 
looked  down  in  silence  for  a  moment  upon  the 
still  face,  then  he  wheeled  upon  the  Arabs. 

"  Who  has  done  this  thing?  "  he  cried.  His 
tone  was  both  menacing  and  accusing.  *  *  Who 
has  murdered  Mohammed  Beyd?  " 

A  sudden  chorus  of  voices  arose  in  tumultu 
ous  protest. 

"  Mohammed  Beyd  was  not  murdered,''  they 
cried.  "  He  died  by  his  own  hand.  This,  and 
Allah,  are  our  witnesses,"  and  they  pointed  to 
a  revolver  in  the  dead  man's  hand. 

For  a  time  Werper  pretended  to  be  skeptical ; 
but  at  last  permitted  himself  to  be  convinced 
that  Mohammed  Beyd  had  indeed  killed  him 
self  in  remorse  for  the  death  of  the  white 
woman  he  had,  all  unknown  to  his  followers, 
loved  so  devotedly. 

Werper  himself  wrapped  the  blankets  of  the 
dead  man  about  the  corpse,  taking  care  to  fold 

302 


THE  FLIGHT  TO  THE  JUNGLE 

inward  the  scorched  and  bullet-torn  fabric  that 
had  muffled  the  report  of  the  weapon  he  had 
fired  the  night  before.  Then  six  husky  blacks 
carried  the  body  out  into  the  clearing  where 
the  camp  stood,  and  deposited  it  in  a  shallow 
grave.  As  the  loose  earth  fell  upon  the  silent 
form  beneath  the  tell-tale  blankets,  Albert  Wer- 
per  heaved  another  sigh  of  relief — his  plan 
had  worked  out  even  better  than  he  had  dared 
hope. 

With  Achmet  Zek  and  Mohammed  Beyd  both 
dead,  the  raiders  were  without  a  leader,  and 
after  a  brief  conference  they  decided  to  return 
into  the  north  on  visits  to  the  various  tribes 
to  which  they  belonged.  Werper,  after  learning 
the  direction  they  intended  taking,  announced 
that  for  his  part,  he  was  going  east  to  the  coast, 
and  as  they  knew  of  nothing  he  possessed  which 
any  of  them  coveted,  they  signified  their  willing 
ness  that  he  should  go  his  way. 

As  they  rode  off,  he  sat  his  horse  in  the  cen 
ter  of  the  clearing  watching  them  disappear  one 
by  one  into  the  jungle,  and  thanked  his  God  that 
he  had  at  last  escaped  their  villainous  clutches. 

When  he  could  no  longer  hear  any  sound  of 
them,  he  turned  to  the  right  and  rode  into  the 

303 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

forest  toward  the  tree  where  he  had  hidden 
Lady  Greystoke,  and  drawing  rein  beneath  it, 
called  up  in  a  gay  and  hopeful  voice  a  pleasant, 
"  Good  morning! " 

There  was  no  reply,  and  though  his  eyes 
searched  the  thick  foliage  above  him,  he  could 
see  no  sign  of  the  girl.  Dismounting,  he  quick 
ly  climbed  into  the  tree,  where  he  could  ob 
tain  a  view  of  all  its  branches.  The  tree  was 
empty — Jane  Clayton  had  vanished  during  the 
silent  watches  of  the  jungle  night. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

TABZAN  BECOVEBS  HIS  BEASON 

A3  TAEZAN  let  the  pebbles  from  the  recov 
ered  pouch  run  through  his  fingers,  his 
thoughts  returned  to  the  pile  of  yellow  ingots 
about  which  the  Arabs  and  the  Abyssinians  had 
waged  their  relentless  battle. 

What  was  there  in  common  between  that  pile 
of  dirty  metal  and  the  beautiful,  sparkling  peb 
bles  that  had  formerly  been  in  his  pouch? 
What  was  the  metal?  From  whence  had  it 
come?  What  was  that  tantalizing  half -convic 
tion  which  seemed  to  demand  the  recognition  of 
his  memory  that  the  yellow  pile  for  which  these 
men  had  fought  and  died  had  been  intimately 
connected  with  his  past — that  it  had  been  his? 

What  had  been  his  past?  He  shook  his  head. 
Vaguely  the  memory  of  his  apish  childhood 
passed  slowly  in  review — then  came  a  strange 
ly  tangled  mass  of  faces,  figures  and  events 
which  seemed  to  have  no  relation  to  Tarzan  of 
the  Apes,  and  yet  which  were,  even  in  their 
fragmentary  form,  familiar. 

805 


TABZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

Slowly4  and  painfully,  recollection  was  at 
tempting  to  reassert  itself,  the  hurt  brain  was 
mending,  as  the  cause  of  its  recent  failure  to 
function  was  being  slowly  absorbed  or  removed 
by  the  healing  processes  of  perfect  circula 
tion. 

The  people  who  now  passed  before  his  mind's 
eye  for  the  first  time  in  weeks  wore  familiar 
faces ;  but  yet  he  could  neither  place  them  in 
the  niches  they  had  once  filled  in  his  past  life, 
nor  call  them  by  name.  One  was  a  fair  she, 
and  it  was  her  face  which  most  often  moved 
through  the  tangled  recollections  of  his  conva 
lescing  brain.  Who  was  she?  What  had  she 
been  to  Tarzan  of  the  Apes?  He  seemed  to 
see  her  about  the  very  spot  upon  which  the 
pile  of  gold  had  been  unearthed  by  the  Abys- 
sinians ;  but  the  surroundings  were  vastly  dif 
ferent  from  those  which  now  obtained. 

There  was  a  building — there  were  many 
buildings  —  and  there  were  hedges,  fences,  and 
flowers.  Tarzan  puckered  his  brow  in  puzzled 
study  of  the  wonderful  problem.  For  an  in 
stant  he  seemed  to  grasp  the  whole  of  a  true 
explanation,  and  then,  just  as  success  was 
within  his  grasp,  the  picture  faded  into  a  jun- 

306 


TARZAN  RECOVERS  HIS  REASON 

gle  scene  where  a  naked,  white  youth  danced 
in  company  with  a  band  of  hairy,  primordial 
ape-things. 

Tarzan  shook  his  head  and  sighed.  Why 
was  it  that  he  could  not  recollect?  At  least  he 
was  sure  that  in  some  way  the  pile  of  gold,  the 
place  where  it  lay,  the  subtle  aroma  of  the  elu 
sive  she  he  had  been  pursuing,  the  memory  fig 
ure  of  the  white  woman,  and  he,  himself,  were 
inextricably  connected  by  the  ties  of  a  forgotten 
past. 

If  the  woman  belonged  there,  what  better 
place  to  search  or  await  her  than  the  very  spot 
which  his  broken  recollections  seemed  to  as 
sign  to  her?  It  was  worth  trying.  Tarzan 
slipped  the  thong  of  the  empty  pouch  over  his 
shoulder  and  started  off  through  the  trees  in 
the  direction  of  the  plain. 

At  the  outskirts  of  the  forest  he  met  the 
Arabs  returning  in  search  of  Achmet  Zek.  Hid 
ing,  he  let  them  pass,  and  then  resumed  his  way 
toward  the  charred  ruins  of  the  home  he  had 
been  almost  upon  the  point  of  recalling  to  his 
memory. 

His  journey  across  the  plain  was  interrupted 
by  the  discovery  of  a  small  herd  of  antelope  in 

307 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  QPAB 

a  little  swale,  where  the  cover  and  the  wind 
were  well  combined  to  make  stalking  easy.  A 
fat  yearling  rewarded  a  half  hour  of  stealthy 
creeping  and  a  sudden,  savage  rush,  and  it  was 
late  in  the  afternoon  when  the  ape-man  settled 
himself  upon  his  haunches  beside  his  kill  to 
enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  skill,  his  cunning,  and  his 
prowess. 

His  hunger  satisfied,  thirst  next  claimed  his 
attention.  The  river  lured  him  by  the  shortest 
path  toward  its  refreshing  waters,  and  when 
he  had  drunk,  night  already  had  fallen  and  he 
was  some  half  mile  or  more  down  stream  from 
the  point  where  he  had  seen  the  pile  of  yellow 
ingots,  and  where  he  hoped  to  meet  the  memory 
woman,  or  find  some  clew  to  her  whereabouts  or 
her  identity. 

To  the  jungle  bred,  time  is  usually  a  matter 
of  small  moment,  and  haste,  except  when  en 
gendered  by  terror,  by  rage,  or  by  hunger,  is 
distasteful.  Today  was  gone.  Therefore  to 
morrow,  of  which  there  was  an  infinite  proces 
sion,  would  answer  admirably  for  Tarzan's  fur 
ther  quest.  And,  besides,  the  ape-man  was  tired 
and  would  sleep. 

A  tree  afforded  him  the  safety,  seclusion  and 
808 


TARZAN  RECOVERS  HIS  REASON 

comforts  of  a  well-appointed  bedchamber,  and 
to  the  chorus  of  the  hunters  and  the  hunted  of 
the  wild  river  bank  he  soon  dropped  off  into 
deep  slumber. 

Morning  found  him  both  hungry  and  thirsty 
again,  and  dropping  from  his  tree  he  made  his 
way  to  the  drinking  place  at  the  river's  edge. 
There  he  found  Numa,  the  lion,  ahead  of  him. 
The  big  fellow  was  lapping  the  water  greed 
ily,  and  at  the  approach  of  Tarzan  along  the 
trail  in  his  rear,  he  raised  his  head,  and  turn 
ing  his  gaze  backward  across  his  maned  shoul 
ders  glared  at  the  intruder.  A  low  growl  of 
warning  rumbled  from  his  throat;  but  Tarzan, 
guessing  that  the  beast  had  but  just  quitted 
his  kill  and  was  well  filled,  merely  made  a  slight 
detour  and  continued  to  the  river,  where  he 
stopped  a  few  yards  above  the  tawny  cat,  and 
dropping  upon  his  hands  and  knees  plunged  his 
face  into  the  cool  water.  For  a  moment  the 
lion  continued  to  eye  the  man ;  then  he  resumed 
his  drinking,  and  man  and  beast  quenched  their 
thirst  side  by  side  each  apparently  oblivious  of 
the  other's  presence. 

Numa  was  the  first  to  finish.  Eaising  his 
head,  he  gazed  across  the  river  for  a  few  min- 

309 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

utes  with  that  stony  fixity  of  attention  which  is 
a  characteristic  of  his  kind.  But  for  the  ruf 
fling  of  his  black  mane  to  the  touch  of  the  pass 
ing  breeze  he  might  have  been  wrought  from 
golden  bronze,  so  motionless,  so  statuesque  his 
pose. 

A  deep  sigh  from  the  cavernous  lungs  dis 
pelled  the  illusion.  The  mighty  head  swung 
slowly  around  until  the  yellow  eyes  rested  upon 
the  man.  The  bristled  lip  curved  upward,  ex 
posing  yellow  fangs.  Another  warning  growl 
vibrated  the  heavy  jowls,  and  the  king  of 
beasts  turned  majestically  about  and  paced 
slowly  up  the  trail  into  the  dense  reeds. 

Tarzan  of  the  Apes  drank  on,  but  from  the 
corners  of  his  gray  eyes  he  watched  the  great 
brute's  every  move  until  he  had  disappeared 
from  view,  and,  after,  his  keen  ears  marked 
the  movements  of  the  carnivore. 

A  plunge  in  the  river  was  followed  by  a  scant 
breakfast  of  eggs  which  chance  discovered  to 
him,  and  then  he  set  off  up  river  toward  the 
ruins  of  the  bungalow  where  the  golden  ingots 
had  marked  the  center  of  yesterday's  battle. 

And  when  he  came  upon  the  spot,  great  was 
his  surprise  and  consternation,  for  the  yellow 

310 


TABZAN  RECOVERS  HIS  REASON 

metal  had  disappeared.  The  earth,  trampled 
by  the  feet  of  horses  and  men,  gave  no  clew.  It 
was  as  though  the  ingots  had  evaporated  into 
thin  air. 

The  ape-man  was  at  a  loss  to  know  where 
to  turn  or  what  next  to  do.  There  was  no  sign 
of  any  spoor  which  might  denote  that  the  she 
had  been  here.  The  metal  was  gone,  and  if 
there  was  any  connection  between  the  she  and 
the  metal  it  seemed  useless  to  wait  for  her  now 
that  the  latter  had  been  removed  elsewhere. 

Everything  seemed  to  elude  him — the  pretty 
pebbles,  the  yellow  metal,  the  she,  his  memory. 
Tarzan  was  disgusted.  He  would  go  back  into 
the  jungle  and  look  for  Chulk,  and  so  he  turned 
his  steps  once  more  toward  the  forest.  He 
moved  rapidly,  swinging  across  the  plain  in  a 
long,  easy  trot,  and  at  the  edge  of  the  forest, 
taking  to  the  trees  with  the  agility  and  speed 
of  a  small  monkey. 

His  direction  was  aimless — he  merely  raced 
on  and  on  through  the  jungle,  the  joy  of  unfet 
tered  action  his  principal  urge,  with  the  hope 
of  stumbling  upon  some  clew  to  Chulk  or  the 
she,  a  secondary  incentive. 

For  two  days  he  roamed  about,  killing,  eat- 
311 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

ing,  drinking  and  sleeping  wherever  inclination 
and  the  means  to  indulge  it  occurred  simulta 
neously.  It  was  upon  the  morning  of  the  third 
day  that  the  scent  spoor  of  horse  and  man  were 
wafted  faintly  to  his  nostrils.  Instantly  he  al 
tered  his  course  to  glide  silently  through  the 
branches  in  the  direction  from  which  the  scent 
came. 

It  was  not  long  before  he  came  upon  a  soli 
tary  horseman  riding1  toward  the  east.  In 
stantly  his  eyes  confirmed  what  his  nose  had 
previously  suspected — the  rider  was  he  who 
had  stolen  his  pretty  pebbles.  The  light  of 
rage  flared  suddenly  in  the  gray  eyes  as  the 
ape-man  dropped  lower  among  the  branches 
until  he  moved  almost  directly  above  the  un 
conscious  "Werper. 

There  was  a  quick  leap,  and  the  Belgian  felt 
a  heavy  body  hurtle  onto  the  rump  of  his  ter 
ror-stricken  mount.  The  horse,  snorting,  leaped 
forward.  Giant  arms  encircled  the  rider,  and 
in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  he  was  dragged  from 
his  saddle  to  find  himself  lying  in  the  narrow 
trail  with  a  naked,  white  giant  kneeling  upon 
his  breast. 

Recognition  came  to  Werper  with  the  first 
312 


TARZAN  RECOVERS  HIS  REASON 

glance  at  his  captor's  face,  and  a  pallor  of  fear 
overspread  his  features.  Strong  fingers  were 
at  his  throat,  fingers  of  steel.  He  tried  to  cry 
out,  to  plead  for  his  life ;  but  the  cruel  fingers 
denied  him  speech,  as  they  were  as  surely  de 
nying  him  life. 

"  The  pretty  pebbles?  "  cried  the  man  upon 
his  breast.  "  What  did  you  with  the  pretty 
pebbles — with  Tarzan  *s  pretty  pebbles?  " 

The  fingers  relaxed  to  permit  of  a  reply. 
For  some  time  Werper  could  only  choke  and 
cough — at  last  he  regained  the  powers  of 
speech. 

"Achmet  Zek,  the  Arab,  stole  them  from 
me,"  he  cried;  "  he  made  me  give  up  the  pouch 
and  the  pebbles." 

"I  saw  all  that,"  replied  Tarzan;  "but 
the  pebbles  in  the  pouch  were  not  the  pebbles 
of  Tarzan  —  they  were  only  such  pebbles  as  fill 
the  bottoms  of  the  rivers,  and  the  shelving 
banks  beside  them.  Even  the  Arab  would  not 
have  them,  for  he  threw  them  away  in  anger 
when  he  had  looked  upon  them.  It  is  my  pretty 
pebbles  that  I  want — where  are  they?  " 

"  I  do  not  know,  I  do  not  know,"  cried  Wer 
per.  "  I  gave  them  to  Achmet  Zek  or  he  would 

313 


TARZAN  AND  TtaE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

have  killed  me.  A  few  minutes  later  he  followed 
me  along  the  trail  to  slay  me,  although  he  had 
promised  to  molest  me  no  further,  and  I  shot 
and  killed  him ;  but  the  pouch  was  not  upon  his 
person  and  though  I  searched  about  the  jungle 
for  some  time  I  could  not  find  it." 

"I  found  it,  I  tell  you,"  growled  Tarzan, 
"  and  I  also  found  the  pebbles  which  Achmet 
Zek  had  thrown  away  in  disgust.  They  were 
not  Tarzan 's  pebbles.  You  have  hidden  them! 
Tell  me  where  they  are  or  I  will  kill  you,"  and 
the  brown  fingers  of  the  ape-man  closed  a  lit 
tle  tighter  upon  the  throat  of  his  victim. 

Werper  struggled  to  free  himself.  "  My  God, 
Lord  Greystoke,"  he  managed  to  scream, 
"  would  you  commit  murder  for  a  handful  of 
stones?  " 

The  fingers  at  his  throat  relaxed,  a  puzzled, 
far-away  expression  softened  the  gray  eyes. 

"Lord  Greystoke!"  repeated  the  ape-man. 
"Lord  Greystoke!  Who  is  Lord  Greystoke? 
Where  have  I  heard  that  name  before?  " 

"  Why  man,  you  are  Lord  Greystoke,"  cried 
the  Belgian.  "  You  were  injured  by  a  falling 
rock  when  the  earthquake  shattered  the  pas 
sage  to  the  underground  chamber  to  which  you 

314 


TARZAN  RECOVERS  HIS  REASON 

and  your  black  Waziri  had  come  to  fetch  golden 
ingots  back  to  your  bungalow.  The  blow  shat 
tered  your  memory.  You  are  John  Clayton, 
Lord  Greystoke — don't  you  remember!  " 

' '  John  Clayton,  Lord  Greystoke ! ' '  repeated 
Tarzan.  Then  for  a  moment  he  was  silent. 
Presently  his  hand  went  falteringly  to  his  fore 
head,  an  expression  of  wonderment  filled  his 
eyes — of  wonderment  and  sudden  understand 
ing.  The  forgotten  name  had  reawakened  the 
returning  memory  that  had  been  struggling 
to  reassert  itself.  The  ape-man  relinquished 
his  grasp  upon  the  throat  of  the  Belgian,  and 
leaped  to  his  feet. 

"  God!  "  he  cried,  and  then,  "  Jane! "  Sud 
denly  he  turned  toward  Werper.  "  My  wife?  " 
he  asked.  "What  has  become  of  her?  The 
farm  is  in  ruins.  You  know.  You  have  had 
something  to  do  with  all  this.  You  followed 
me  to  Opar,  you  stole  the  jewels  which  I  thought 
but  pretty  pebbles.  You  are  a  crook!  Do  not 
try  to  tell  me  that  you  are  not." 

"He  is  worse  than  a  crook,"  aaid  a  quiet 
voice  close  behind  them. 

Tarzan  turned  in  astonishment  to  see  a  tall 
man  in  uniform  standing  in  the  trail  a  few 

315 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

paces  from  him.  Back  of  the  man  were  a  num 
ber  of  black  soldiers  in  the  uniform  of  the 
Congo  Free  State. 

"He  is  a  murderer,  Monsieur,"  continued 
the  officer.  "I  have  followed  him  for  a  long 
time  to  take  him  back  to  stand  trial  for  the  kill 
ing  of  his  superior  officer." 

Werper  was  upon  his  feet  now,  gazing,  white 
and  trembling,  at  the  fate  which  had  overtaken 
him  even  in  the  fastness  of  the  labyrinthine 
jungle.  Instinctively  he  turned  to  flee;  but 
Tarzan  of  the  Apes  reached  out  a  strong  hand 
and  grasped  him  by  the  shoulder. 

"Wait!"  said  the  ape-man  to  his  captive. 
'  '  This  gentleman  wishes  you,  and  so  do  I. 
When  I  am  through  with  you,  he  may  have  you. 
Tell  me  what  has  become  of  my  wife." 

The  Belgian  officer  eyed  the  almost  naked, 
white  giant  with  curiosity.  He  noted  the 
strange  contrast  of  primitive  weapons  and  ap 
parel,  and  the  easy,  fluent  French  which  the 
man  spoke.  The  former  denoted  the  lowest, 
the  latter  the  highest  type  of  culture.  He  could 
not  quite  determine  the  social  status  of  this 
strange  creature ;  but  he  knew  that  he  did  not 
relish  the  easy  assurance  with  which  the  fellow 

316 


TARZAN  RECOVERS  HIS  REASON 

presumed  to  dictate  when  lie  might  take  pos 
session  of  the  prisoner. 

"  Pardon  me,"  he  said,  stepping  forward  and 
placing  his  hand  on  Werper's  other  shoulder; 
"  but  this  gentleman  is  my  prisoner.  He  must 
come  with  me." 

"When  I  am  through  with  him,"  replied 
Tarzan,  quietly. 

The  officer  turned  and  beckoned  to  the  sol 
diers  standing  in  the  trail  behind  him.  A  com 
pany  of  uniformed  blacks  stepped  quickly  for 
ward  and  pushing  past  the  three,  surrounded 
the  ape-man  and  his  captive. 

"  Both  the  law  and  the  power  to  enforce  it 
are  upon  my  side,"  announced  the  officer.  "  Let 
us  have  no  trouble.  If  you  have  a  grievance 
against  this  man  you  may  return  with  me  and 
enter  your  charge  regularly  before  an  author 
ized  tribunal." 

"  Your  legal  rights  are  not  above  suspicion, 
my  friend,"  replied  Tarzan,  "  and  your  power 
to  enforce  your  commands  are  only  apparent 
— not  real.  You  have  presumed  to  enter  Brit 
ish  territory  with  an  armed  force.  Where  is 
your  authority  for  this  invasion?  Where  are 
the  extradition  papers  which  warrant  the  ar- 

317 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  QPAB 

rest  of  this  man?  And  what  assurance  have 
you  that  I  cannot  bring  an  armed  force  about 
you  that  will  prevent  your  return  to  the  Congo 
Free  State!" 

The  Belgian  lost  his  temper.  ' '  I  have  no  dis 
position  to  argue  with  a  naked  savage,"  he 
cried.  "Unless  you  wish  to  be  hurt  you  will 
not  interfere  with  me.  Take  the  prisoner,  Ser 
geant!  " 

Werper  raised  his  lips  close  to  Tarzan's 
ear.  "  Keep  me  from  them,  and  I  can  show 
you  the  very  spot  where  I  saw  your  wife  last 
night,"  he  whispered.  "  She  cannot  be  far 
from  here  at  this  very  minute." 

The  soldiers,  following  the  signal  from  their 
sergeant,  closed  in  to  seize  Werper.  Tarzan 
grabbed  the  Belgian  about  the  waist,  and  bear 
ing  him  beneath  his  arm  as  he  might  have  borne 
a  sack  of  flour,  leaped  forward  in  an  attempt 
to  break  through  the  cordon.  His  right  fist 
caught  the  nearest  soldier  upon  the  jaw  and 
sent  him  hurtling  backward  upon  his  fellows. 
Clubbed  rifles  were  torn  from  the  hands  of  those 
who  barred  his  way,  and  right  and  left  the  black 
soldiers  stumbled  aside  in  the  face  of  the  ape- 
man's  savage  break  for  liberty. 

318 


TAR&AN  REOOVEES  HIS  REASON 

So  completely  did  the  blacks  surround  the 
two  that  they  dared  not  fire  for  fear  of  hitting 
one  of  their  own  number,  and  Tarzan  was  al 
ready  through  theni  and  upon  the  point  of 
dodging  into  the  concealing  mazes  of  the  jungle 
when  one  who  had  sneaked  upon  him  from  be 
hind  struck  him  a  heavy  blow  upon  the  head 
with  a  rifle. 

In  an  instant  the  ape-man  was  down  and  a 
dozen  black  soldiers  were  upon  his  back.  When 
he  regained  consciousness  he  found  himself  se 
curely  bound,  as  was  Werper  also.  The  Bel 
gian  officer,  success  having  crowned  his  efforts, 
was  in  good  humor,  and  inclined  to  chaff  his 
prisoners  about  the  ease  with  which  they  had 
been  captured;  but  from  Tarzan  of  the  Apes 
he  elicited  no  response.  Werper,  however,  was 
voluble  in  his  protests.  He  explained  that  Tar 
zan  was  an  English  lord;  but  the  officer  only 
laughed  at  the  assertion,  and  advised  his  pris 
oner  to  save  his  breath  for  his  defense  in  court. 

As  soon  as  Tarzan  regained  his  senses  and 
it  was  found  that  he  was  not  seriously  injured, 
the  prisoners  were  hastened  into  line  and  the 
return  march  toward  the  Congo  Free  State 
boundary  commenced. 

319 


TAEZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  QPAB 

Toward  evening  the  column  halted  beside  a 
stream,  made  camp  and  prepared  the  evening 
meal.  From  the  thick  foliage  of  the  nearby 
jungle  a  pair  of  fierce  eyes  watched  the  activi 
ties  of  the  uniformed  blacks  with  silent  inten 
sity  and  curiosity.  From  beneath  beetling 
brows  the  creature  saw  the  boma  constructed, 
the  fires  built,  and  the  supper  prepared. 

Tarzan  and  Werper  had  been  lying  bound  be 
hind  a  small  pile  of  knapsacks  from  the  time 
that  the  company  had  halted;  but  with  the 
preparation  of  the  meal  completed,  their  guard 
ordered  them  to  rise  and  come  forward  to  one 
of  the  fires  where  their  hands  would  be  unfet 
tered  that  they  might  eat. 

As  the  giant  ape-man  rose,  a  startled  expres 
sion  of  recognition  entered  the  eyes  of  the 
watcher  in  the  jungle,  and  a  low  guttural  broke 
from  the  savage  lips.  Instantly  Tarzan  was 
alert,  but  the  answering  growl  died  upon  his 
lips,  suppressed  by  the  fear  that  it  might  arouse 
the  suspicions  of  the  soldiers. 

Suddenly  an  inspiration  came  to  him.  He 
turned  toward  Werper. 

"  I  am  going  to  speak  to  you  in  a  loud  voice 
and  in  a  tongue  which  you  do  not  understand. 

320 


TABZAN  RECOVERS  HIS  REASON 

Appear  to  listen  intently  to  what  I  say,  and 
occasionally  mumble  something  as  though  re 
plying  in  the  same  language  —  our  escape  may 
hinge  upon  the  success  of  your  efforts." 

"Werper  nodded  in  assent  and  understanding, 
and  immediately  there  broke  from  the  lips  of 
his  companion  a  strange  jargon  which  might 
have  been  compared  with  equal  propriety  to 
the  barking  and  growling  of  a  dog  and  the  chat 
tering  of  monkeys. 

The  nearer  soldiers  looked  in  surprise  at  the 
ape-man.  Some  of  them  laughed,  while  others 
drew  away  in  evident  superstitious  fear.  The 
officer  approached  the  prisoners  while  Tarzan 
was  still  jabbering,  and  halted  behind  them,  lis 
tening  in  perplexed  interest.  When  "Werper 
mumbled  some  ridiculous  jargon  in  reply  his 
curiosity  broke  bounds,  and  he  stepped  forward, 
demanding  to  know  what  language  it  was  that 
they  spoke. 

Tarzan  had  gauged  the  measure  of  the  man's 
culture  from  the  nature  and  quality  of  his  con 
versation  during  the  march,  and  he  rested  the 
success  of  his  reply  upon  the  estimate  he  had 
made. 

11  Greek,"  he  explained. 
321 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

"  Oh,  I  thought  it  was  Greek, "  replied  the 
officer ;  '  '  but  it  has  been  so  many  years  since  I 
studied  it  that  I  was  not  sure.  In  future,  how 
ever,  I  will  thank  you  to  speak  in  a  language 
which  I  am  more  familiar  with." 

Werper  turned  his  head  to  hide  a  grin,  whis 
pering  to  Tarzan:  "  It  was  Greek  to  him  all 
right — and  to  me,  too." 

But  one  of  the  black  soldiers  mumbled  in  a 
low  voice  to  a  companion:  "I  have  heard 
those  sounds  before  —  once  at  night  when  I 
was  lost  in  the  jungle,  I  heard  the  hairy  men  of 
the  trees  talking  among  themselves,  and  their 
words  were  like  the  words  of  this  white  man. 
I  wish  that  we  had  not  found  him.  He  is  not  a 
man  at  all — he  is  a  bad  spirit,  and  we  shall 
have  bad  luck  if  we  do  not  let  him  go,"  and  the 
fellow  rolled  his  eyes  fearfully  toward  the 
jungle. 

His  companion  laughed  nervously,  and  moved 
away,  to  repeat  the  conversation,  with  varia 
tions  and  exaggerations,  to  others  of  the  black 
soldiery,  so  that  it  was  not  long  before  a  fright 
ful  tale  of  black  magic  and  sudden  death  was 
woven  about  the  giant  prisoner,  and  had  gone 
the  rounds  of  the  camp. 

322 


TARZAN  RECOVERS  HIS  REASON 

And  deep  in  the  gloomy  jungle  amidst  the 
darkening  shadows  of  the  falling  night  a  hairy, 
manlike  creature  swung  swiftly  southward  Upon 
some  secret  mission  of  his  own. 


CHAPTER  XXHI 

A  NIGHT  OF  TEBBOB 

TO  JANE  CLAYTON,  waiting  in  the  tree 
where  Werper  had  placed  her,  it  seemed 
that  the  long  night  would  never  end,  yet  end 
it  did  at  last,  and  within  an  hour  of  the  coming 
of  dawn  her  spirits  leaped  with  renewed  hope 
at  sight  of  a  solitary  horseman  approaching 
along  the  trail. 

The  flowing  burnoose,  with  its  loose  hood, 
hid  both  the  face  and  the  figure  of  the  rider; 
but  that  it  was  M.  Frecoult  the  girl  well  knew, 
since  he  had  been  garbed  as  an  Arab,  and  he 
alone  might  be  expected  to  seek  her  hiding 
place. 

That  which  she  saw  relieved  the  strain  of 
the  long  night  vigil;  but  there  was  much  that 
she  did  not  see.  She  did  not  see  the  black  face 
beneath  the  white  hood,  nor  the  file  of  ebon 
horsemen  beyond  the  trail 's  bend  riding  slowly 
in  the  wake  of  their  leader.  These  things  she 
did  not  see  at  first,  and  so  she  leaned  down- 

324 


A  NIOHT  OF  TERROR 


ward  toward  the  approaching  rider,  a  cry  of 
welcome  forming  in  her  throat. 

At  the  first  word  the  man  looked  up,  reining 
in  in  surprise,  and  as  she  saw  the  black  face  of 
Abdul  Mourak,  the  Abyssinian,  she  shrank  back 
in  terror  among  the  branches;  but  it  was  too 
late.  The  man  had  seen  her,  and  now  he  called 
to  her  to  descend.  At  first  she  refused;  but 
when  a  dozen  black  cavalrymen  drew  up  be 
hind  their  leader,  and  at  Abdul  Mourak 's  com 
mand  one  of  them  started  to  climb  the  tree 
after  her  she  realized  that  resistance  was  futile, 
and  came  slowly  down  to  stand  upon  the  ground 
before  this  new  captor  and  plead  her  cause  in 
the  name  of  justice  and  humanity. 

Angered  by  recent  defeat,  and  by  the  loss  of 
the  gold,  the  jewels,  and  his  prisoners,  Abdul 
Mourak  was  in  no  mood  to  be  influenced  by 
any  appeal  to  those  softer  sentiments  to  which, 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  he  was  almost  a  stranger 
even  under  the  most  favorable  conditions. 

He  looked  for  degredation  and  possible  death 
in  punishment  for  his  failures  and  his  misfor 
tunes  when  he  should  have  returned  to  his  na 
tive  land  and  made  his  report  to  Menelek;  but 
an  acceptable  gift  might  temper  the  wrath  of 

325 


LTARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

the  emperor,  and  surely  this  fair  flower  of  an 
other  race  should  be  gratefully  received  by  the 
black  ruler! 

When  Jane  Clayton  had  concluded  her  ap 
peal,  Abdul  Mourak  replied  briefly  that  he 
would  promise  her  protection ;  but  that  he  must 
take  her  to  his  emperor.  The  girl  did  not  need 
ask  him  why,  and  once  again  hope  died  within 
her  breast.  Eesignedly  she  permitted  herself 
to  be  lifted  to  a  seat  behind  one  of  the  troop 
ers,  and  again,  under  new  masters,  her  journey 
was  resumed  toward  what  she  now  began  to  be 
lieve  was  her  inevitable  fate. 

Abdul  Mourak,  bereft  of  his  guides  by  the 
battle  he  had  waged  against  the  raiders,  and 
himself  unfamiliar  with  the  country,  had  wan 
dered  far  from  the  trail  he  should  have  fol 
lowed,  and  as  a  result  had  made  but  little  prog 
ress  toward  the  north  since  the  beginning  of 
his  flight.  Today  he  was  beating  toward  the 
west  in  the  hope  of  coming  upon  a  village  where 
he  might  obtain  guides;  but  night  found  him 
still  as  far  from  a  realization  of  his  hopes  as 
had  the  rising  sun. 

It  was  a  dispirited  company  which  went  into 
camp,  waterless  and  hungry,  in  the  dense  jun- 

326 


A  NIGHT  OF  TERROR 


gle.  Attracted  by  the  horses,  lions  roared  about 
the  boma,  and  to  their  hideous  din  was  added 
the  shrill  neighs  of  the  terror-stricken  beasts 
they  hunted.  There  was  little  sleep  for  man 
or  beast,  and  the  sentries  were  doubled  that 
there  might  be  enough  on  duty  both  to  guard 
against  the  sudden  charge  of  an  overbold,  or 
overhungry  lion,  and  to  keep  the  fire  blazing 
which  was  an  even  more  effectual  barrier 
against  them  than  the  thorny  boma. 

It  was  well  past  midnight,  and  as  yet  Jane 
Clayton,  notwithstanding  that  she  had  passed 
a  sleepless  night  the  night  before,  had  scarcely 
more  than  dozed.  A  sense  of  impending  danger 
seemed  to  hang  like  a  black  pall  over  the  camp. 
The  veteran  troopers  of  the  black  emperor  were 
nervous  and  ill  at  ease.  Abdul  Mourak  left  his 
blankets  a  dozen  times  to  pace  restlessly  back 
and  forth  between  the  tethered  horses  and  the 
crackling  fire.  The  girl  could  see  his  great 
frame  silhouetted  against  the  lurid  glare  of  the 
flames,  and  she  guessed  from  the  quick,  nervous 
movements  of  the  man  that  he  was  afraid. 

The  roaring  of  the  lions  rose  in  sudden  fury 
until  the  earth  trembled  to  the  hideous  chorus. 
The  horses  shrilled  their  neighs  of  terror  as 

327 


TABZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

they  lay  back  upon  their  halter  ropes  in  their 
mad  endeavors  to  break  loose.  A  trooper, 
braver  than  his  fellows,  leaped  among  the  kick 
ing,  plunging,  fear-maddened  beasts  in  a  futile 
attempt  to  quiet  them.  A  lion,  large,  and  fierce, 
and  courageous,  leaped  almost  to  the  boma, 
full  in  the  bright  light  from  the  fire.  A  sentry 
raised  his  piece  and  fired,  and  the  little  leaden 
pellet  unstoppered  the  vials  of  hell  upon  the 
terror-stricken  camp. 

The  shot  ploughed  a  deep  and  painful  furrow 
in  the  lion's  side,  arousing  all  the  bestial  fury 
of  the  little  brain;  but  abating  not  a  whit  the 
power  and  vigor  of  the  great  body. 

Unwounded,  the  boma  and  the  flames  might 
have  turned  him  back;  but  now  the  pain  and 
the  rage  wiped  caution  from  his  mind,  and  with 
a  loud,  and  angry  roar  he  topped  the  barrier 
with  an  easy  leap  and  was  among  the  horses. 

What  had  been  pandemonium  before  became 
now  an  indescribable  tumult  of  hideous  sound. 
The  stricken  horse  upon  which  the  lion  leaped 
shrieked  out  its  terror  and  its  agony.  Several 
about  it  broke  their  tethers  and  plunged  madly 
about  the  camp.  Men  leaped  from  their  blan 
kets  and  with  guns  ready  ran  toward  the  picket 

328 


A  NIGHT  OF  TERROR 


line,  and  then  from  the  jungle  beyond  the  boma 
a  dozen  lions,  emboldened  by  the  example  of 
their  fellow  charged  fearlessly  upon  the  camp. 

Singly  and  in  twos  and  threes  they  leaped 
the  boma,  until  the  little  enclosure  was  filled 
with  cursing  men  and  screaming  horses  battling 
for  their  lives  with  the  green-eyed  devils  of  the 
jungle. 

With  the  charge  of  the  first  lion,  Jane  Clayton 
had  scrambled  to  her  feet,  and  now  she  stood 
horror-struck  at  the  scene  of  savage  slaughter 
that  swirled  and  eddied  about  her.  Once  a 
bolting  horse  knocked  her  down,  and  a  moment 
later  a  lion,  leaping  in  pursuit  of  another  ter 
ror-stricken  animal,  brushed  her  so  closely  that 
she  was  again  thrown  from  her  feet. 

Amidst  the  cracking  of  the  rifles  and  the 
growls  of  the  carnivora  rose  the  death  screams 
of  stricken  men  and  horses  as  they  were 
dragged  down  by  the  blood-mad  cats.  The  leap 
ing  carnivora  and  the  plunging  horses,  pre 
vented  any  concerted  action  by  the  Abyssin- 
ians — it  was  every  man  for  himself — and  in 
the  melee,  the  defenseless  woman  was  either 
forgotten  or  ignored  by  her  black  captors.  A 
score  of  times  was  her  life  menaced  by  charging 

329 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

lions,  by  plunging  horses,  or  by  the  wildly  fired 
bullets  of  the  frightened  troopers,  yet  there  was 
no  chance  of  escape,  for  now  with  the  fiendish 
cunning  of  their  kind,  the  tawny  hunters  com 
menced  to  circle  about  their  prey,  hemming 
them  within  a  ring  of  mighty,  yellow  fangs,  and 
sharp,  long  talons.  Again  and  again  an  in 
dividual  lion  would  dash  suddenly  among  the 
frightened  men  and  horses,  and  occasionally  a 
horse,  goaded  to  frenzy  by  pain  or  terror,  suo- 
ceded  in  racing  safely  through  the  circling  lions, 
leaping  the  boma,  and  escaping  into  the  jungle ; 
but  for  the  men  and  the  woman  no  such  escape 
was  possible. 

A  horse,  struck  by  a  stray  bullet,  fell  beside 
Jane  Clayton,  a  lion  leaped  across  the  expiring 
beast  full  upon  the  breast  of  a  black  trooper 
just  beyond.  The  man  clubbed  his  rifle  and 
struck  futilely  at  the  broad  head,  and  then  he 
was  down  and  the  carnivore  was  standing  above 
him. 

Shrieking  out  his  terror,  the  soldier  clawed 
with  puny  fingers  at  the  shaggy  breast  in  vain 
endeavor  to  push  away  the  grinning  jaws.  The 
lion  lowered  his  head,  the  gaping  fangs  closed 
with  a  single  sickening  crunch  upon  the  fear- 

330 


A  NIGHT  OF  TEBBOR 


distorted  face,  and  turning  strode  back  across 
the  body  of  the  dead  horse  dragging  his  limp 
and  bloody  burden  with  him. 

Wide-eyed  the  girl  stood  watching.  She  saw 
the  carnivore  step  upon  the  corpse,  stumblingly, 
as  the  grisly  thing  swung  between  its  f  orepaws, 
and  her  eyes  remained  fixed  in  fascination  while 
the  beast  passed  within  a  few  paces  of  her. 

The  interference  of  the  body  seemed  to  en 
rage  the  lion.  He  shook  the  inanimate  clay 
venomously.  He  growled  and  roared  hideously 
at  the  dead,  insensate  thing,  and  then  he 
dropped  it  and  raised  his  head  to  look  about  in 
search  of  some  living  victim  upon  which  to 
wreak  his  ill  temper.  His  yellow  eyes  fastened 
themselves  balefully  upon  the  figure  of  the  girl, 
the  bristling  lips  raised,  disclosing  the  grinning 
fangs.  A  terrific  roar  broke  from  the  savage 
throat,  and  the  great  beast  crouched  to  spring 
ur>on  this  new  and  helpless  victim. 

Quiet  had  fallen  early  upon  the  camp  where 
Tarzan  and  Werper  lay  securely  bound.  Two 
nervous  sentries  paced  their  beats,  their  eyes 
rolling  often  toward  the  impenetrable  shadows 
of  the  gloomy  jungle.  The  others  slept  or  tried 

331 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

to  sleep — all  bnt  the  ape-man.  Silently  and 
powerfully  he  strained  at  the  bonds  which  fet 
tered  his  wrists. 

The  muscles  knotted  beneath  the  smooth, 
brown  skin  of  his  arms  and  shoulders,  the  veins 
stood  out  upon  his  temples  from  the  force  of 
his  exertions  —  a  strand  parted,  another  and 
another,  and  one  hand  was  free.  Then  from 
the  jungle  came  a  low  guttural,  and  the  ape- 
man  became  suddenly  a  silent,  rigid  statue, 
with  ears  and  nostrils  straining  to  span  the 
black  void  where  his  eyesight  could  not  reach. 

Again  came  the  uncanny  sound  from  the  thick 
verdure  beyond  the  camp.  A  sentry  halted 
abruptly,  straining  his  eyes  into  the  gloom. 
The  kinky  wool  upon  his  head  stiffened  and 
raised.  He  called  to  his  comrade  in  a  hoarse 
whisper. 

"  Did  you  hear  it?  "  he  asked. 

The  other  came  closer,  trembling. 

"Hear  what?" 

Again  was  the  weird  sound  repeated,  followed 
almost  immediately  by  a  similar  and  answer 
ing  sound  from  the  camp.  The  sentries  drew 
close  together,  watching  the  black  spot  from 
which  the  voice  seemed  to  come. 

332 


A  NIGHT  OF  TEBEOR 


Trees  overhung  the  boma  at  this  point  which 
was  upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  camp  from 
them.  They  dared  not  approach.  Their  terror 
even  prevented  them  from  arousing  their  fel 
lows — they  could  only  stand  in  frozen  fear  and 
watch  for  the  fearsome  apparition  they  momen 
tarily  expected  to  see  leap  from  the  jungle. 

Nor  had  they  long  to  wait.  A  dim,  bulky 
form  dropped  lightly  from  the  branches  of  a 
tree  into  the  camp.  At  sight  of  it  one  of  the 
sentries  recovered  command  of  his  muscles  and 
his  voice.  Screaming  loudly  to  awaken  the 
sleeping  camp,  he  leaped  toward  the  flickering 
watch  fire  and  threw  a  mass  of  brush  upon  it. 

The  white  officer  and  the  black  soldiers 
sprang  from  their  blankets.  The  flames  leaped 
high  upon  the  rejuvenated  fire,  lighting  the  en 
tire  camp,  and  the  awakened  men  shrank  back 
in  superstitious  terror  from  the  sight  that  met 
their  frightened  and  astonished  vision. 

A  dozen  huge  and  hairy  forms  loomed  large 
beneath  the  trees  at  the  far  side  of  the  enclo 
sure.  The  white  giant,  one  hand  freed,  had 
struggled  to  his  knees  and  was  calling  to  the 
frightful,  nocturnal  visitors  in  a  hideous  medley 
of  bestial  gutterals,  barkings  and  growlings. 

333 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

Werper  had  managed  to  sit  up.  He,  too,  saw 
the  savage  faces  of  the  approaching  anthro 
poids  and  scarcely  knew  whether  to  be  relieved 
or  terror-stricken. 

Growling,  the  great  apes  leaped  forward 
toward  Tarzan  and  Werper.  Chulk  led  them. 
The  Belgian  officer  called  to  his  men  to  fire  npon 
the  intruders;  but  the  negroes  held  back,  filled 
as  they  were  with  superstitious  terror  of  the 
hairy  tree-men,  and  with  the  conviction  that  the 
white  giant  who  could  thus  summon  the  beasts 
of  the  jungle  to  his  aid  was  more  than  human. 

Drawing  his  own  weapon,  the  officer  fired, 
and  Tarzan  fearing  the  effect  of  the  noise  upon 
his  really  timid  friends  called  to  them  to  has 
ten  and  fulfill  his  commands. 

A  couple  of  the  apes  turned  and  fled  at  the 
sound  of  the  firearm;  but  Chulk  and  a  half 
dozen  others  waddled  rapidly  forward,  and, 
following  the  ape-man's  directions,  seized  both 
him  and  Werper  and  bore  them  off  toward  the 
jungle. 

By  dint  of  threats,  reproaches  and  profanity 
the  Belgian  officer  succeeded  in  persuading  his 
trembling  command  to  fire  a  volley  after  the 
retreating  apes.  A  ragged,  straggling  volley 

334 


A  NIGHT  OF  TERROR 


it  was,  but  at  least  one  of  its  bullets  found  a 
mark,  for  as  the  jungle  closed  about  the  hairy 
rescuers,  Chulk,  who  bore  Werper  across  one 
broad  shoulder,  staggered  and  fell. 

In  an  instant  he  was  up  again;  but  the  Bel 
gian  guessed  from  his  unsteady  gait  that  he 
was  hard  hit.  He  lagged  far  behind  the  oth 
ers,  and  it  was  several  minutes  after  they  had 
halted  at  Tarzan's  command  before  he  came 
slowly  up  to  them,  reeling  from  side  to  side,  and 
at  last  falling  again  beneath  the  weight  of  his 
burden  and  the  shock  of  his  wound. 

As  Chulk  went  down  he  dropped  Werper,  so 
that  the  latter  fell  face  downward  with  the  body 
of  the  ape  lying  half  across  him.  In  this  posi 
tion  the  Belgian  felt  something  resting  against 
his  hands,  which  were  still  bound  at  his  back — 
something  that  was  not  a  part  of  the  hairy  body 
of  the  ape. 

Mechanically  the  man's  fingers  felt  of  the  ob 
ject  resting  almost  in  their  grasp — it  was  a 
soft  pouch,  filled  with  small,  hard  particles. 
Werper  gasped  in  wonderment  as  recognition 
filtered  through  the  incredulity  of  his  mind.  It 
was  impossible,  and  yet — it  was  true ! 

Feverishly  he  strove  to  remove  the  pouch 
3B5 


IAJJZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

from  the  ape  and  transfer  it  to  his  own  pos 
session;  but  the  restricted  radius  to  which  his 
bonds  held  his  hands  prevented  this,  though  he 
did  succeed  in  tucking  the  pouch  with  its  pre 
cious  contents  inside  the  waist  band  of 
his  trousers. 

Tarzan,  sitting  at  a  short  distance,  was  busy 
with  the  remaining  knots  of  the  cords  which 
bound  him.  Presently  *he  flung  aside  the  last 
of  them  and  rose  to  his  feet.  Approaching 
Werper  he  knelt  beside  him.  For  a  moment  he 
examined  the  ape. 

"  Quite  dead,"  he  announced.  "It  is  too 
bad — he  was  a  splendid  creature,"  and  then  he 
turned  to  the  work  of  liberating  the  Belgian. 

He  freed  his  hands  first,  and  then  commenced 
upon  the  knots  at  his  ankles. 

"  I  can  do  the  rest,"  said  the  Belgian.  "  I 
have  a  small  pocketknife  which  they  over 
looked  when  they  searched  me,"  and  in  this 
way  he  succeeded  in  ridding  himself  of  the  ape- 
man 's  attentions  that  he  might  find  and  open 
his  little  knife  and  cut  the  thong  which  fastened 
the  pouch  about  Chulk's  shoulder,  and  transfer 
it  from  his  waist  band  to  the  breast  of  his 
sMrt.  Then  he  rose  and  approached  Tarzan. 

336 


A  NIGHT  OE  TERROR 


Once  again  had  avarice  claimed  hmiT  For 
gotten  were  the  good  intentions  which  the 
confidence  of  Jane  Clayton  in  his  honor  had 
awakened.  What  she  had  done,  the  little  pouch 
had  undone.  How  it  had  come  upon  the  person 
of  the  great  ape,  Werper  could  not  imagine,  un 
less  it  had  been  that  the  anthropoid  had  wit 
nessed  his  fight  with  Achmet  Zek,  seen  the 
Arab  with  the  pouch  and  taken  it  away  from 
him;  but  that  this  pouch  contained  the  jewels 
of  Opar,  Werper  was  positive,  and  that  was  all 
that  interested  him  greatly. 

"  Now,"  said  the  ape-man,  "  keep  your  prom 
ise  to  me.  Lead  me  to  the  spot  where  you  last 
saw  my  wife. ' ' 

It  was  slow  work  pushing  through  the  jun 
gle  in  the  dead  of  night  behind  the  slow-mov 
ing  Belgian.  The  ape-man  chafed  at  the  de 
lay,  but  the  European  could  not  swing  through 
the  trees  as  could  his  more  agile  and  muscular 
companions,  and  so  the  speed  of  #11  was  limited 
to  that  of  the  slowest. 

The  apes  trailed  out  behind  the  two  white 
men  for  a  matter  of  a  few  miles ;  but  presently 
their  interest  lagged,  the  foremost  of  them 
halted  in  a  little  glade  and  the  others  stopped 

337 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  Off  QPAB 

at  his  side.  There  they  sat  peering  from  be 
neath  their  shaggy  brows  at  the  figures  of  the 
two  men  forging  steadily  ahead,  until  the  lat 
ter  disappeared  in  the  leafy  trail  beyond  the 
clearing.  Then  an  ape  sought  a  comfortable 
couch  beneath  a  tree,  and  one  by  one  the  oth 
ers  followed  his  example,  so  that  Werper  and 
Tarzan  continued  their  journey  alone ;  nor  was 
the  latter  either  surprised  or  concerned. 

The  two  had  gone  but  a  short  distance  be 
yond  the  glade  where  the  apes  had  deserted 
them,  when  the  roaring  of  distant  lions  fell 
upon  their  ears.  The  ape-man  paid  no  atten 
tion  to  the  familiar  sounds  until  the  crack  of  a 
rule  came  faintly  from  the  same  direction,  and 
when  this  was  followed  by  the  shrill  neighing 
of  horses,  and  an  almost  continuous  fusillade 
of  shots  intermingled  with  increased  and  sav 
age  roaring  of  a  large  troop  of  lions,  he  be 
came  immediately  concerned. 

"  Someone  is  having  trouble  over  there,"  he 
said,  turning  toward  Werper.  "  I'll  have  to  go 
to  them — they  may  be  friends." 

"Your  wife  might  be  among  them,"  sug 
gested  the  Belgian,  for  since  he  had  again  come 
into  possession  of  the  pouch  he  had  become 

338 


A  NIGHT  OF  TERROR 


fearful  and  suspicions  of  the  ape-man,  and  in 
his  mind  had  constantly  revolved  many  plans 
for  eluding  this  giant  Englishman,  who  was  at 
once  his  savior  and  his  captor. 

At  the  suggestion  Tarzan  started  as  though 
struck  with  a  whip. 

"  God!  "  he  cried,  "  she  might  be,  and  the 
lions  are  attacking  them — they  are  in  the  camp. 
I  can  tell  from  the  screams  of  the  horses  —  and 
there !  that  was  the  cry  of  a  man  in  his  death 
agonies.  Stay  here  man — I  will  come  back  for 
you.  I  must  go  first  to  them/'  and  swinging 
into  a  tree  the  lithe  figure  swung  rapidly  off  into 
the  night  with  the  speed  and  silence  of  a  dis 
embodied  spirit. 

For  a  moment  Werper  stood  where  the  ape- 
man  had  left  him.  Then  a  cunning  smile 
crossed  his  lips.  "  Stay  here?  "  he  asked  him 
self.  "  Stay  here  and  wait  until  you  return 
to  find  and  take  these  jewels  from  me?  Not  I, 
my  friend,  not  I,"  and  turning  abruptly  east 
ward  Albert  Werper  passed  through  the  foli 
age  of  a  hanging  vine  and  out  of  the  sight  of 
his  fellow-man — forever. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

HOME 

AS  TAEZAN  of  the  Apes  hurtled  through 
2iL  the  trees  the  discordant  sounds  of  the  bat 
tle  between  the  Abyssinians  and  the  lions  smote 
more  and  more  distinctly  upon  his  sensitive 
ears,  redoubling  his  assurance  that  the  plight 
of  the  human  element  of  the  conflict  was  criti 
cal  indeed. 

At  last  the  glare  of  the  camp  fire  shone 
plainly  through  the  intervening  trees,  and  a 
moment  later  the  giant  figure  of  the  ape-man 
paused  upon  an  overhanging  bough  to  look 
down  upon  the  bloody  scene  of  carnage  below. 

His  quick  eye  took  in  the  whole  scene  with 
a  single  comprehending  glance  and  stopped 
upon  the  figure  of  a  woman  standing  facing  a 
great  lion  across  the  carcass  of  a  horse. 

The  carnivore  was  crouching  to  spring  as 
Tarzan  discovered  the  tragic  tableau.  Numa 
was  almost  beneath  the  branch  upon  which  the 
ape-man  stood,  naked  and  unarmed.  There 

340 


HOME 


was  not  even  an  instant's  hesitation  upon  the 
part  of  the  latter — it  was  as  though  he  had 
not  even  paused  in  his  swift  progress  through 
the  trees,  so  lightning-like  his  survey  and  com 
prehension  of  the  scene  below  him — so  instan 
taneous  his  consequent  action. 

So  hopeless  had  seemed  her  situation  to  her 
that  Jane  Clayton  but  stood  in  lethargic  apathy 
awaiting  the  impact  of  the  huge  body  that  would 
hurl  her  to  the  ground — awaiting  the  momen 
tary  agony  that  cruel  talons  and  grisly  fangs 
may  inflict  before  the  coming  of  the  merciful  ob 
livion  which  would  end  her  sorrow  and  her  suf 
fering. 

What  use  to  attempt  escape?  As  well  face 
the  hideous  end  as  to  be  dragged  down  from  be 
hind  in  futile  flight.  She  did  not  even  close 
her  eyes  to  shut  out  the  frightful  aspect  of  that 
snarling  face,  and  so  it  was  that  as  she  saw 
the  lion  preparing  to  charge  she  saw,  too,  a 
bronzed  and  mighty  figure  leap  from  an  over 
hanging  tree  at  the  instant  that  Numa  rose  in 
his  spring. 

Wide  went  her  eyes  in  wonder  and  incredu 
lity,  as  she  beheld  this  seeming  apparition  risen 
from  the  dead.  The  lion  was  forgotten — her 

341 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAR 

own  peril — everything  save  the  wondrous  mir 
acle  of  this  strange  recrudescence.  With 
parted  lips,  with  palms  tight  pressed  against 
her  heaving  bosom,  the  girl  leaned  forward, 
large-eyed,  enthralled  by  the  vision  of  her  dead 
mate. 

She  saw  the  sinewy  form  leap  to  the  shoulder 
of  the  lion,  hurtling  against  the  leaping  beast 
like  a  huge,  animate  battering  ram.  She  saw 
the  carnivore  brushed  aside  as  he  was  almost 
upon  her,  and  in  the  instant  she  realized  that 
no  substanceless  wraith  could  thus  turn  the 
charge  of  a  maddened  lion  with  brute  force 
greater  than  the  brute's. 

Tarzan,  her  Tarzan,  lived !  A  cry  of  unspeak 
able  gladness  broke  from  her  lips,  only  to  die 
in  terror  as  she  saw  the  utter  def  enselessness  of 
her  mate,  and  realized  that  the  lion  had  recov 
ered  himself  and  was  turning  upon  Tarzan  in 
mad  lust  for  vengeance. 

At  the  ape-man's  feet  lay  the  discarded  rifle 
of  the  dead  Abyssinian  whose  mutilated  corpse 
sprawled  where  Numa  had  abandoned  it.  The 
quick  glance  which  had  swept  the  ground  for 
some  weapon  of  defense  discovered  it,  and  as 
the  lion  reared  upon  his  hind  legs  to  seize  the 

342 


HOME 


rash  man-thing  who  had  dared  interpose  its 
puny  strength  between  Numa  and  his  prey,  the 
heavy  stock  whirred  through  the  air  and  splin 
tered  upon  the  broad  forehead. 

Not  as  an  ordinary  mortal  might  strike  a 
blow  did  Tarzan  of  the  Apes  strike ;  but  with 
the  maddened  frenzy  of  a  wild  beast  backed  by 
the  steel  thews  which  his  wild,  arboreal  boyhood 
had  bequeathed  him.  When  the  blow  ended  the 
splintered  stock  was  driven  through  the  splin 
tered  skull  into  the  savage  brain,  and  the  heavy 
iron  barrel  was  bent  into  a  rude  V. 

In  the  instant  that  the  lion  sank,  lifeless,  to 
the  ground,  Jane  Clayton  threw  herself  into  the 
eager  arms  of  her  husband.  For  a  brief  instant 
he  strained  her  dear  form  to  his  breast,  and 
then  a  glance  about  him  awakened  the  ape-man 
*o  the  dangers  which  still  surrounded  them. 

Upon  every  hand  the  lions  were  still  leaping 
upon  new  victims.  Fear-maddened  horses  still 
menaced  them  with  their  erratic  bolting  from 
one  side  of  the  enclosure  to  the  other.  Bullets 
from  the  guns  of  the  defenders  who  remained 
alive  but  added  to  the  perils  of  their  situation. 

To  remain  was  to  court  death.  Tarzan  seized 
Jane  Clayton  and  lifted  her  to  a  broad  shoulder. 

343 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

The  blacks  who  had  witnessed  his  advent  looked 
on  in  amazement  as  they  saw  the  naked  giant 
leap  easily  into  the  branches  of  the  tree  from 
whence  he  had  dropped  so  uncannily  npon  the 
scene,  and  vanish  as  he  had  come,  bearing  away 
their  prisoner  with  him. 

They  were  too  well  occupied  in  self-defense 
to  attempt  to  halt  him,  nor  could  they  have 
done  so  other  than  by  the  wasting  of  a  precious 
bullet  which  might  be  needed  the  next  instant 
to  turn  the  charge  of  a  savage  foe. 

And  so,  unmolested,  Tarzan  passed,  from  the 
camp  of  the  Abyssinians,  from  which  the  din 
of  conflict  followed  him  deep  into  the  jungle 
until  distance  gradually  obliterated  it  entirely. 

Back  to  the  spot  where  he  had  left  Werper 
went  the  ape-man,  joy  in  his  heart  now,  where 
fear  and  sorrow  had  so  recently  reigned;  and 
in  his  mind  a  determination  to  forgive  the  Bel 
gian  and  aid  him  in  making  good  his  escape. 
But  when  he  came  to  the  place,  Werper  was 
gone,  and  though  Tarzan  called  aloud  many 
times  he  received  no  reply.  Convinced  that  the 
man  had  purposely  eluded  him  for  reasons  of 
his  own,  John  Clayton  felt  that  he  was  under 
no  obligations  to  expose  his  wife  to  further  dan- 

344 


HOME 


ger  and  discomfort  in  the  prosecution  of  a  more 
thorough  search  for  the  missing  Belgian. 

*  *  He  has  acknowledged  his  guilt  by  his  flight, 
Jane,"  he  said.  "  We  will  let  him  go  to  lie  in 
the  bed  that  he  has  made  for  himself." 

Straight  as  homing  pigeons,  the  two  made 
their  way  toward  the  ruin  and  desolation  that 
had  once  been  the  center  of  their  happy  lives, 
and  which  was  soon  to  be  restored  by  the  will 
ing  black  hands  of  laughing  laborers,  made 
happy  again  by  the  return  of  the  master  and 
mistress  whom  they  had  mourned  as  dead. 

Past  the  village  of  Achmet  Zek  their  way  led 
them,  and  there  they  found  but  the  charred 
remains  of  the  palisade  and  the  native  huts,  still 
smoking,  as  mute  evidence  of  the  wrath  and 
vengeance  of  a  powerful  enemy. 

"The  Waziri,"  commented  Tarzan  with  a 
grim  smile. 

"God  bless  them!"  cried  Jane  Clayton. 

"  They  cannot  be  far  ahead  of  us,"  said  Tar 
zan,  "  Basuli  and  the  others.  The  gold  is  gone 
and  the  jewels  of  Opar,  Jane;  but  we  have  each 
other  and  the  Waziri — we  have  love  and  loy 
alty  and  friendship.  And  what  are  gold  and 
jewels  to  these?  " 

345 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

"If  only  poor  Mugambi  lived,"  she  replied, 
' '  and  those  other  brave  fellows  who  sacrificed 
their  lives  in  vain  endeavor  to  protect  me!  " 

In  the  silence  of  mingled  joy  and  sorrow  they 
passed  along  through  the  familiar  jungle,  and 
as  the  afternoon  was  waning  there  came  faintly 
to  the  ears  of  the  ape-man  the  murmuring  ca 
dence  of  distant  voices. 

"  We  are  nearing  the  Waziri,  Jane,"  he  said. 
"  I  can  hear  them  ahead  of  us.  They  are  going 
into  camp  for  the  night,  I  imagine." 

A  half  hour  later  the  two  came  upon  a  horde 
of  ebon  warriors  which  Basuli  had  collected 
for  his  war  of  vengeance  upon  the  raiders.  With 
them  were  the  captured  women  of  the  tribe 
whom  they  had  found  in  the  village  of  Achmet 
Zek,  and  tall,  even  among  the  giant  Waziri, 
loomed  a  familiar  black  form  at  the  side  of  Ba 
suli.  It  was  Mugambi,  whom  Jane  had  thought 
dead  amidst  the  charred  ruins  of  the  bungalow. 

Ah,  such  a  reunion !  Long  into  the  night  the 
dancing  and  the  singing  and  the  laughter  awoke 
the  echoes  of  the  somber  wood.  Again  and 
again  were  the  stories  of  their  various  adven 
tures  retold.  Again  and  once  again  they  fought 
their  battles  with  savage  beast  and  savage  man, 

346 


HOME 


and  dawn  was  already  breaking  when  Basuli, 
for  the  fortieth  time,  narrated  how  he  and  a 
handful  of  his  warriors  had  watched  the  battle 
for  the  golden  ingots  which  the  Abyssinians  of 
Abdul  Mourak  had  waged  against  the  Arab 
raiders  of  Achmet  Zek,  and  how,  when  the  vic 
tors  had  ridden  away  they  had  sneaked  out  of 
the  river  reeds  and  stolen  away  with  the 
precious  ingots  to  hide  them  where  no  robber 
eye  ever  could  discover  them. 

Pieced  out  from  the  fragments  of  their  va 
rious  -experiences  with  the  Belgian  the  truth 
concerning  the  malign  activities  of  Albert  Wer- 
per  became  apparent.  Only  Lady  Greystoke 
found  aught  to  praise  in  the  conduct  of  the  man, 
and  it  was  difficult  even  for  her  to  reconcile  his 
many  heinous  acts  with  this  one  evidence  of 
chivalry  and  honor. 

"  Deep  in  the  soul  of  every  man,"  said  Tar- 
zan,  "  must  lurk  the  germ  of  righteousness.  It 
was  your  own  virtue,  Jane,  rather  even  than 
your  helplessness  which  awakened  for  an  in 
stant  the  latent  decency  of  this  degraded  man. 
In  that  one  act  he  retrieved  himself,  and  when 
he  is  called  to  face  his  Maker  may  it  outweigh 
in  the  balance,  all  the  sins  he  has  committed." 

347 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  OPAB 

And  Jane  Clayton  breathed  a  fervent, 
"Amen!" 

Months  had  passed.  The  labor  of  the  Waziri 
and  the  gold  of  Opar  had  rebuilt  and  refur 
nished  the  wasted  homestead  of  the  Greystokes. 
Once  more  the  simple  life  of  the  great  African 
farm  went  on  as  it  had  before  the  coming  of 
the  Belgian  and  the  Arab.  Forgotten  were  the 
sorrows  and  dangers  of  yesterday. 

For  the  first  time  in  months  Lord  Greystoke 
felt  that  he  might  indulge  in  a  holiday,  and  so 
a  great  hunt  was  organized  that  the  faithful 
laborers  might  feast  in  celebration  of  the  com 
pletion  of  their  work. 

In  itself  the  hunt  was  a  success,  and  ten  days 
after  its  inauguration,  a  well-laden  safari  took 
up  its  return  march  toward  the  Waziri  plain. 
Lord  and  Lady  Greystoke  with  Basuli  and  Mu- 
gambi  rode  together  at  the  head  of  the  column, 
laughing  and  talking  together  in  that  easy  fa 
miliarity  which  common  interests  and  mutual 
respect  breed  between  honest  and  intelligent 
men  of  any  races. 

Jane  Clayton's  horse  shied  suddenly  at  an  ob 
ject  half  hidden  in  the  long  grasses  of  an  open 

348 


HOME 


space  in  the  jungle.  Tarzan's  keen  eyes  sought 
quickly  for  an  explanation  of  the  animal's  ac 
tion. 

"  What  have  we  here!  "  he  cried,  swinging 
from  his  saddle,  and  a  moment  later  the  four 
were  grouped  about  a  human  skull  and  a  little 
litter  of  whitened  human  bones. 

Tarzan  stooped  and  lifted  a  leathern  pouch 
from  the  grisly  relics  of  a  man.  The  hard  out 
lines  of  the  contents  brought  an  exclamation  of 
surprise  to  his  lips. 

"The  jewels  of  Opar!"  he  cried,  holding 
the  pouch  aloft,  "  and,"  pointing  to  the  bones  at 
his  feet,  "  all  that  remains  of  Werper,  the  Bel 
gian." 

Mugambi  laughed.  "  Look  within,  Bwana," 
he  cried,  "  and  you  will  see  what  are  the  jewels 
of  Opar — you  will  see  what  the  Belgian  gave 
his  life  for,"  and  the  black  laughed  aloud. 

"  Why  do  you  laugh?  "  asked  Tarzan. 

"Because,"  replied  Mugambi,  "I  filled  the 
Belgian's  pouch  with  river  gravel  before  I  es 
caped  the  camp  of  the  Abyssinians  whose  pris 
oners  we  were.  I  left  the  Belgian  only  worth 
less  stones,  while  I  brought  away  with  me  the 
jewels  he  had  stolen  from  you.  That  they  were 

349 


TARZAN  AND  THE  JEWELS  OF  QPAB 

afterward  stolen  from  me  while  I  slept  in  the 
jungle  is  my  shame  and  my  disgrace;  but  at 
least  the  Belgian  lost  them — open  his  pouch 
and  you  will  see." 

Tarzan  untied  the  thong  which  held  the 
mouth  of  the  leathern  bag  closed,  and  permit 
ted  the  contents  to  trickle  slowly  forth  into  his 
open  palm.  Mugambi's  eyes  went  wide  at  the 
sight,  and  the  others  uttered  exclamations  of 
surprise  and  incredulity,  for  from  the  rusty 
and  weatherworn  pouch  ran  a  stream  of  bril 
liant,  scintillating  gems. 

"  The  jewels  of  Opar!  "  cried  Tarzan.  "  But 
how  did  Werper  come  by  them  again?  " 

None  could  answer,  for  both  Chulk  and  Wer 
per  were  dead,  and  no  other  knew. 

"  Poor  devil !  "  said  the  ape-man,  as  he  swung 
back  into  his  saddle.  ' '  Even  in  death  he  has 
made  restitution — let  his  sins  lie  with  his 
bones. " 


350 


THE  "TARZAN"  BOOKS 
by 

EDGAR  RICE  BURROUGHS 


TARZAN  OF  THE  APES 

A  white  child  of  noble  line 
age  brought  up  by  a  tribe  of 
gigantic  anthropoid  apes  and 
becoming,  by  virtue  of  his 
fighting  ability  and  superior 
mentality,  King  of  the  tribe 
and  Master  of  the  Jungle. 
Such  was  Tarzan,  the  most 
popular  character  in  fiction  to 
day,  as  introduced  to  the  pub 
lic  in  "Tarzan  of  the  Apes." 

THE  RETURN  OF  TARZAN 

A  sequel  to  "Tarzan  of  the 
Apes."  It  deals  in  its  opening 
chapters  with  the  young  giant 
of  the  jungle  in  civilization, 
meeting  wherever  he  goes  with 
adventures  as  strange  and 
thrilling  as  those  of  his  boy 
hood  in  the  primeval  forests. 
Then  it  tells  of  Tarzan's  return 
to  the  tropical  wilderness  and 
of  his  astounding  adventures 
with  ferocious  animals  and 
savage  native  tribes. 


THE  BEASTS  OF  TARZAN 

Another  great  jungle  yarn. 
Tarzan's  wife  and  child  are 
abducted  by  his  enemies.  He 
follows  them  to  Wildest  Africa 
and,  with  a  yell  and  a  bound, 
is  back  at  home  again  among 
the  beasts  of  the  jungle,  plung 
ing  into  a  series  of  adventures, 
so  startling,  exciting,  and  hair- 
raising  that  one  gasps  with 
astonishment. 

THE  SON  OF  TARZAN 

Tarzan's  son  inherits  his 
father's  love  of  the  jungle  and 
by  an  extraordinary  combina 
tion  of  circumstances  is  taken  to 
the  African  Wilderness.  The 
lore  of  the  jungle  came  easily 
to  him;  he  battles  mightily 
with  Numa,  the  Lion,  with 
Hista,  the  Snake,  with  crafty 
savages  and  slave  traders  till 
there  is  no  one  greater  in  the 
forest  than  Korak  (the  Killer), 
son  of  Tarzan. 


A  PRINCESS  OF  MARS 

by 

EDGAR  RICE  BURROUGHS 

An  absorbing  tale  of  adventure  and 
romance  forty-three  million  miles  from 
Earth.  It  is  hardly  too  much  to  say  it 
is  the  boldest  piece  of  imaginative  fic 
tion  in  this  generation. 

John  Carter,  American,  goes  to  sleep 
in  a  mysterious  cave  in  the  Arizona 
desert  and  when  he  wakes  up  finds  him 
self  on  the  planet  Mars.  There  he 
meets  with  a  succession  of  weird  and 
astounding  adventures,  told  in  that  fas 
cinating  and  realistic  way  that  makes 
Burroughs  easily  the  foremost  roman 
ticist  of  his  time. 

Think  for  a  moment  of  this  young  American 
battling  for  a  woman,  beautiful  as  a  houri,  with 
the  Green  Men  of  Mars,  creatures  fifteen  feet  high, 
and  of  fearsome  aspect,  with  two  extra  limbs,  which 
will  function  either  as  legs  or  arms,  mounted  on 
horses  like  dragons,  and  attended  by  watch-dogs  like 
enormous  frogs  with  ten  legs,  and  you  can  get  some 
idea  of  the  thrills  in  the  yarn. 

Only  the  man  who  created  Tarzan,  The  Ape 
Man,  could  write  so  bold  a  story. 


RETURN  TO  the  circulation  desk  ot  any 
University  of  California  Library 

or  to  the 

NORTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 
Bldg.  400,  Richmond  Field  Station 
University  of  California 
Richmond,  CA  94804-4698 

ALL  BOOKS  MAY  BE  RECALLED  AFTER  7  DAYS 

•  2-month  loans  may  be  renewed  by  calling 
(510)642-6753 

•  1-year  loans  may  be  recharged  by  bringing 
books  to  NRLF 

•  Renewals  and  recharges  may  be  made  4 
days  prior  to  due  date. 

DUE  AS  STAMPED  BELOW 


JAN  1  4  2003 


12,000(11/95) 


o^  3  3  «*j  oo  o 
|~g£      -*w 


oo_ 


o 

o 

I 


s 


) 


O    C"  •—    ** 

40^*^ 

^5  s  3 

>— »  —    *^"'     CJ 

GO.^    O      8 


f* 


» 


CO 


